When A Heart Breaks
by SometimesAllYouNeedIs1
Summary: Told from Peyton's perspective, her and Brooke are no longer speaking, something happens, what will bring them back together?
1. When A Heart Breaks

Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or any of the characters from it, though sometimes it would be really nice to live in their world wouldn't it?

A/N: I've been reading a lot of fanfiction lately and have been on a writers block and haven't felt inspired to write anything for the longest time… We had a really bad storm here the other night and I just started writing in the mindset of the one and only P. Sawyer… let me know if you guys like it and want me to continue it or not!

When a Heart Breaks

Thump. Thump. Thump. I glanced out my window and noticed it had begun to rain. I sat the contract I was going over down along with my glass of red wine, glancing at my cell phone one last time, sighing I had to stop waiting for a call that would never come... Why did I constantly do this to myself?

_I woke up this morning_

_ And I heard the news_

_ I know the pain of a heartbreak_

_ I don't have answers_

_ And neither do you_

_ I know the pain of a heartbreak_

I always loved storms. Something about them helped calm my nerves. I was always sort of a mess like that. I had been so unnerved lately with all that has happened and this monster of a storm was maybe what I needed to help muddle through all that was going through my mind, everything that happened over the course of the past year and a half.

I walked out onto my balcony and leaned over the edge, placing my palm out into the mass of downpouring liquid from the sky. It was times like this that made me miss her more. She always hated thunderstorms, and it's nights like this when I ache for her, if even to hear her raspy voice for a minute, a second. She used to curl up next to me and breathe into my neck trying to seek comfort there to escape from the storm. I don't even realize I'm crying because it's raining so hard. I wish it wasn't so quiet, it makes me think insane thoughts when I'm sitting here alone, if only something would take away the pain for a minute, the deafening silence. I will still never understand how I, we, crossed that border, wasn't Lucas supposed to be my "epic love"? But when I think back, it's always been me and her. She was always the one to pull me out, until she wasn't anymore. Until I was here, in this place alone, without her.

_ This isn't easy_

_ This isn't clear_

_ And you don't need Jesus_

_ Til you're here_

_ Then confusion and the doubts you had_

_ Up and walk away_

_ They walk away_

_ When a heart breaks_

_ I heard the doctor_

_ But what did he say_

_ I knew I was fine about this time yesterday_

_ I don't need answers_

_ I just need some peace_

_ I just need someone who could help me get some sleep_

_ Who could help me get some sleep_

Suddenly a memory jolted my mind of the beginning, I should've known then, Brooke Davis was no good. This weather reminded me of that day all those years ago… maybe this storm wouldn't be a good thing after all.

Flashback:

We still hadn't established what we were doing, all I knew is that when we were alone both of us had a hard time keeping our hands to ourselves, and even when we were in public, she would find her ways of driving me crazy, doing little things to brush up against me or touch me the slightest bit, we were always very touchy, but now that we had crossed this stage, we were falling into gray areas….

It was a rainy Saturday afternoon, and I was in a museum earning extra credit for my art final, not that I needed it, but I really wanted to see this exhibit, and go on this tour. Brooke decided to tag along since she was in town for the week. I was being so good, notebook and pad of paper in hand, listening to the tour guide. This wasn't Brooke's thing; everyone knew that, therefore, she started with her wicked little games…

She leaned in close to me and put her arms around my waist, causing me to jump a little, I hissed quietly at her "Brooke, knock it off, I am seriously trying to listen to this!"

She whispered huskily in my ear, "Come on P. Sawyer, this is SO boring…wouldn't you rather I don't know, listen to me scream your name?"

"BROOKE!" the whole group turned around and looked at me, "Sorry…" I stated as I glared my eyes at her. She didn't get the message.

She leaned close to my ear again and began lightly brushing her fingers over my arm "Peyt…. I'm bored…." Damn her and her sexy rasp, the rasp got me. Every. Single. Time. She knew what that did to me. I had to untangle myself, I wouldn't let Brooke Davis get the upper hand, not this time. "…And I'm learning, so pay attention missy."

"Ugh! This is so unfair!"

"And over here we have the Pulitzer Prize photograph exhibit, each with a story of their own…"

We wondered through the exhibit for a few moments, my eyes glued to each photograph. I was memorized.

Brooke came up and entwined our hands, "You know Peyt, your art, it could really end up in a place like this someday. You have no idea how incredibly talented you are."

"Wow, thanks Brooke….That was…. Out of the blue…. You're up to something…."

"I just don't think you get enough credit, and you don't give yourself enough credit…." With that, she leaned in and kissed me, in front of all my classmates, but I didn't care.

"I know exactly what you're doing…"

"Is it working?"

"Hmmmmmm….Nope." With that she began to suck on my ear, and nibble on my neck, right in the middle of the museum. Brooke Davis was the devil. It was time to go, I think I earned my extra credit. I was fighting a losing battle.

_This isn't easy_

_This isn't clear_

_And you don't need Jesus_

_Til you're here_

I was pulled from the memories of another time, another life it seemed by sounds of my phone vibrating, I took one last look at the beautiful downpour and stepped back inside so I would be able to hear the voice on the phone over the sounds of the rain.

"Hey Hales" she must've sensed the disparity in my voice, the emptiness, the sadness.

"…Everything is fine, I was just looking over Mia's contract again. This is a really big deal you know. Will you be here for the meeting tomorrow? Wait, what's wrong…? Sam…? No, I haven't talked to her today…..Sam's missing…? What do you mean missing…?"

_ Then confusion and the doubts you had_

_ Up and walk away_

_ They walk away_

_ When a heart breaks_

_ When a heart breaks_

_ When a heart breaks_

_ Oh, when a heart breaks_

_ This isn't easy_

_ This isn't clear_

_ And you don't need Jesus_

_ Til you're here_

_ Then confusion and the doubts you had_

_ Up and walk away_

_ They walk away_

_ When a heart breaks_

Read and Review if you'd like me to continue? I have a lot of ideas on where I'd like the story to go...

Also, the song is by Ben Rector, if you haven't heard it, check it out, it's amazing!


	2. Barely Breathing

Thank you for all of you who read and reviewed the last chapter and PMed me. I appreciate it so much! XFaudilocksx - LOVED both your chapter updates! I had been very impatiently waiting for them lol! Thank you for reviewing!

"Alright, just breathe Hales, in and out, now, slow down, and explain to me what the hell is going on…" I was trying to remain as calm as possible for Haley, and even though she couldn't hear me, for Brooke too.

"I only got the gist of things, but apparently her and Brooke had some monster blow up, it was really bad… and she hasn't come home. They were screaming at each other. And Sam grabbed her phone and said she was calling you… well, you can imagine how that went over…"

"But Brooke knows that Sam and I talk to each other…" I explained to Haley, ever since I had come back to LA, and left Tree Hill permanently, Sam and I continued talking on a daily basis, even if it was just a quick text message. We were always really close… so I wasn't sure why this would've been such a big issue…

"I know that Peyton…" Haley trailed off, I sensed there was more to this then what she was telling me…

"Hales, what were they arguing about in the first place? You never said…? You just said they had a blow up…? I just talked to Sam on the phone yesterday; she said things were going well there… She was telling me about reading "Catcher in the Rye". What could've changed in one day? Changed so drastically that she's run-off…" I had begun pacing back and forth on the hardwood floors of my bedroom unconsciously playing with the necklace around my neck that I have never taken off.

"…..Hello….Hales….? Come on…. What is it?"

"It's….. God…. Brooke is going to be so pissed if she knew that I called you… but… I had to call…."

"HALES….WHAT HAPPENED" I shouted into the phone and I heard her sigh…struggling to get her thoughts together on how to tell me whatever she needed to tell me.

Sometimes, I hated being so far away from Tree Hill, from Haley, from Nate, from Jamie, from Sam, the distance was hard and having a conversation like this over the phone was difficult, I just wanted to shake her and get her to tell me what was going on. I hated being so damn disconnected from Brooke, it was still something I wasn't used to, she's been the biggest part of me since I was 8 years old. This disconnect was something that I would never be used to. It was like a band-aid, suddenly ripped and then having to learn to rebuild life again. But, I didn't want to without her. It was just too hard being in Tree Hill and not being able to be with Brooke like we used to be, so when Red Bedroom Records exploded, it gave me a really big opportunity to move my life to LA, a very lonely life, but a pretty sweet one nonetheless.

"Okay Peyton, I'm going to tell you, Brooke's a mess…. It's not good. And we really just need to find Sam… it's like really critical that we find her right now…." Haley hesitantly and quietly spoke into the phone, "I haven't seen Brooke like this since…. Well…" She didn't want to say it, but I know what she going to say, since the night I left, I still shivered at the thought of the memory of that night, my heart breaking in pieces all over again thinking about it.

I quietly gathered the strength into the phone, tears streaming down my face, "Hales, please, just tell me what's happened? I have to know…"

"It's…..It's Xavier, he's out…" I fell to the floor, instantly sobbing. My mind immediately going back to the asshole that broke Brooke, it took her weeks to physically heal from his attack, and months to heal mentally, actually, I don't know if she ever got over it. There would be nights, that in a moment, he would pop into her mind and I would have to lull her back to sleep. Just like she did with me with Derek, it's something that stays with you forever.

"How….What….W…Wh…What…? How can this be happening….? Did he contact Brooke? Or Sam?" I felt like I couldn't breathe anymore and quickly rushed back up off the floor to the balcony to be with the rain, maybe that would help soothe me.

"He contacted Jack, who talked to Sam, and told her to watch her back that he was coming for her… Sam said she was leaving, Brooke panicked and it escalated into a huge blow-up. You know how Sam is, she blamed herself so much the first time, she would do anything to protect Brooke from this, but Brooke's just scared for Sam, for herself… it's bringing it all back…."

My heart was aching at the thought of what Brooke was going through right now, sitting at home, scared and alone…I was scared to ask and was desperately trying to calculate the hours in my head of how long it had been since I had spoken to Sam the night before, "how long has she been gone…?"

"Almost 8 hours…she's looked everywhere for her…and the police can't do anything until it's been 24 hours, her phone is off, she hasn't contacted you?"

"Not since our call last night like I said… I just can't believe this… I hate being so far away when shit like this happens…. I'm assuming you are canceling your trip here tomorrow? Actually, shouldn't you be leaving soon?" I glanced over at the clock… it was late now, almost 1:00 a.m., 4 a.m. Tree Hill time, which hadn't dawned on me when Haley initially called. Which meant Sam had been missing since 8 p.m. Tree Hill time…

"I just don't think I can leave Brooke, but this deal with Mia is our biggest deal yet, and I'm supposed to record our duet… I'm torn… I just don't know how to help her Peyton… I can't do it like you can…"

I sighed heavily. It wasn't supposed to be my job to help her anymore. But where the hell was Sam? Where could she possibly have gone in 8 hours? Had she gone to find the Xavier creep, find Jack? Why couldn't she have called Brooke to tell her where she was going…? To give her some peace of mind? Sam knew how protective Brooke was…. It just wasn't adding up…Tears were still streaming down my face.

I was knocked out of my thoughts to a sudden incessant beating on the front door, I wouldn't have heard it over the rain, had it not been so loud, who the hell would be here at 1:00 a.m.? Probably Mia freaking out about tomorrow.

"I can figure out something about the meeting Hales if you can't be here, this is a big deal…I will do whatever I can to help. I will try calling Sam…Brooke shouldn't be alone." The knocking was getting louder and louder… "JESUS I'M COMING! Someone's at my door, Hales, and I'm assuming I will be dealing with a very freaked out Mia all night long, you know how she gets…"

I opened the door, to a very wet, red eyed Samantha Walker on my doorstep and a sense of relief washed over my body that I've never felt in my entire life, she was at least safe in one piece.

"…..She's here Hales….She's here."

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	3. Consequences

Thank each of you for the reviews! You are far too kind! I know it's not a lot of Breyton yet, but I'm building... it's getting there :)

So many emotions course through my veins. Anger. Relief. Sadness…Guilt.

"FUCKING HELL SAM! Do you have any idea how WORRIED Brooke is? How worried I was? Haley? Everyone? What the FUCK WERE YOU THINKING?!" I can't help put leap forward and pull her into a bone crushing hug, despite me being pissed, and knowing how pissed Brooke is going to be for knowing she's here.

"I….I… I miss you…I don't know… I just…Xavier….and…Brooke…and…" Sam chokes out the words slowly as she stands on my doorstep, saturated. I can't help but soften a little at seeing her this way. Samantha Walker doesn't do vulnerable, or tears, often. I've only seen them a handful of times, which is probably why she reminded me so much of myself. It's something that's weirdly beautiful, seeing her vulnerability this way, her letting me in. But then reality comes crushing back in… she's in LA. I'm in LA. Xavier's out. Brooke's alone. Brooke doesn't know she's here… And Haley… Whoops….

"Oops, Hales, you still there?" I had forgotten about our phone call.

"Call Brooke, Peyton. Fix this. And get Sam back to Tree Hill." And with that she hung up….guess I would text her to let her know about Mia's album schedule and I guess we would be rescheduling the duet...

Sam and I both hesitated for a minute as I moved the phone away from my ear to hang up. I knew Haley was pissed, but how the hell was I supposed to know Sam was going to show up on my doorstep? I moved to the side and gestured for her to come in. I quickly ran in to the bathroom and grabbed a towel and handed it to her to dry off with… still, we both stared not daring to say anything.

"…You have to call Brooke, Sam. She's worried sick. That was Haley on the phone, the police have been looking for you. They thought you were missing… You can't just do this fucking shit to people Sam…" I had started pacing on the floors, I couldn't sit still, because I just didn't know how I was going to deal with this situation… "People CARE about you Sam, people love you. You can't just fly across the country Sam to land on my doorstep. I've missed you, so much. But you can't do that to Brooke…"

"WHY? She left you! So I left her to come here!" She was angry…and I got it…I understood, but I kept trying to think of Brooke sitting there alone, still not knowing where Sam was….

_**Flashback**_

_"I just can't do this anymore Peyton…." _

_"What are you saying Brooke…? Don't do this, you can't do this…." _

_"I don't want to do this, but you have a relationship with my cell phone. We see each other once every few months… things aren't what they used to be." _

_"This is about Victoria isn't it? You're afraid. I can't believe this…." _

_"I'm sorry Peyton…." I fell to the floor, not only had I lost my oldest, best friend. I lost the love of my life, all in the span of a few words._

_"You aren't even going to try to fight for me…"_

_**End Flashback**_

"Sam…That's not fair…you shouldn't have done that. ESPECIALLY with this whole Xavier thing. Brooke loves you so much…Think about how she's feeling right now. You need to call her right now. And you need to get back to Tree Hill, you need to be with Brooke right now."

"Brooke's a mess, Peyton. I came here to try to talk some sense into at least one of you…. She's going to hate me for coming here. I know she is…" her eyes were welling up with tears again, "But…if something happened to her again, because of me, I'd never be able….be….able…to….

"Hey…..Sssshhhh….It's okay….I'm here. I'm not going anywhere" I did my best to console her as I stroked her hair softly.

"I'd…I'd….never be able to live with myself if something happened to her again… She's done everything for me… I wanted to get as far away from her as possible. To protect her. I thought it was the only way. I figured you of all people would understand that…" Of course I understood, my whole life I tried to protect Brooke, I tried to make it my mission in life. It was like breathing, something I did without even thinking about. Something that came naturally. I thought about what was best for her before what was best for me. Always. But in the end, I wondered, did Brooke do the same for me? I thought about that at least twenty times a day. Was I not worth protecting? I tried to shake the thoughts and get back to the matter at hand.

"How did you even get the money to come here?"

"I've been saving for months and figuring out how I was going to convince Brooke to let me come see you…I just had to come…" She was still shaken up…

"Yeah, well, now you need to call Brooke….I can't sit here knowing she has no idea you're safe…"

"…..Could…you maybe…..call her….? You know….?"

"….Samanthaaaaaaa….." It had been almost 2 years since Brooke and I had spoken, I can't imagine how the conversation of her foster daughter showing up across the country in the middle of the night at my house would go over as our first conversation. And how would the logistics of it go? I couldn't very well send her off alone again with that crazy man after her, Brooke wouldn't allow it. And I sure as hell wasn't comfortable with it. But would Brooke come here to get her? Then it dawned on me, the project I'd been working on in Tree Hill. I'd been putting it off long enough and I had made a promise to someone long ago that I would follow through with what I said. It was then I realized, I would take Sam back to Tree Hill after my meeting with Mia the following day. I had to do this. It was only fair. Would Sam be safe in Tree Hill? Would Brooke? I had a feeling Xavier would find them both wherever they went if he really wanted and I was going to do everything in my power to stop the creep. I would never stop trying to protect Brooke, or Sam. "Okay, I will call, IF you get your crazy ass on a flight back to Tree Hill with me tomorrow after my meeting with Red Bedroom. You can't expect me to call her and NOT have a game plan…Have you met Brooke Davis?" With that I finally saw her smile for the first time since I had seen her and it was good to see her smile again. But I was dreading having to make this call, "Give me your phone, I will talk first, but you know she's going to want to talk to you…" With that she nodded her head, sniffed her nose, and handed me her phone.

I had my made my way into the kitchen and told Sam I would grab her when the threshold was clear. I held the phone in my hands, who knew a device so small could be so scary? _Okay, stop being such a pansy Sawyer, just dial the number, it's just Brooke…_I leaned against the counter and slowly began counting in my head, as if that would help ease this somehow? I dialed the number I had memorized by heart many years ago and inhaled deeply…. _Here we go…._

"SAMANTHA WALKER, YOU BETTER HAVE A FUCKING AMAZING EXPLANATION OF WHERE THE HELL YOU'VE BEEN…I'VE BEEN WORRIED SICK!" I can hear the tears and loneliness in her voice, it makes me want to come through the phone and wrap her in a warm embrace…despite everything we've been through. "…SAMANTHA!"

I struggled to find my words, and then finally breathed out, "….Brooke…. Samantha is here, with me…."

"Peyton…."

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	4. Sober

Thank you all for the reviews so far! Please let me know how you are liking the story so far, I have a lot of ideas of how I'm thinking the story is going to go, but if you have ideas of things, or if you feel like I'm not explaining something well enough or you don't like something, please let me know! Enjoy the next chapter! Read and review :)

_And I don't know_

_This could break my heart or save me_

_Nothing's real_

_Until you let go completely_

Deep breath. Deep breath. In and out. I was pretty sure I was about to hyperventilate. "It's going to be okay Peyton, thanks for working out your schedule so you could take me back" I smile over at Sam and pat her knee as we both buckled our seatbelts for the long plane ride ahead of us. I couldn't stop thinking about my conversation with Brooke or what it was going to be like to run into her again. Deep breath.

"Sure, I'd do anything for you Sam. You know that."

"You'd do anything for her too, and she knows that…" she said as she grabbed my hand that rested on her knee.

_So here I go with all my thoughts_

_I've been saving_

_So here I go with all my fears_

_Weighing on me_

_**Flashback**_

_"Peyton…."_

_"…..Hi….ummm…hi…."_

_"Sam…..ummmm….Sam is there…. In LA? With you?" Un-fucking-believable." I could practically hear her over the phone making holes in the floor with her heels pacing back-and-forth, old habits die hard._

_"She wanted me to call you Brooke…I'm sorry. I didn't know she would end up here… she said she was doing this to protect you….she didn't want to hurt you anymore, she thought getting as far away from you as possible would help somehow…" I was trying to keep it together…but just hearing her voice, I thought I was dying, it hurt so much… _

_"UN-FUCKING-BELIEVABLE! LA! Wonder where she picked up on the running tip!" She was crossing that line with that, but I knew she was lashing out from being angry with Sam for running to me. _

_"HEY! Now isn't the time for this Brooke, and if I recall…you know what… I'm not doing this with you. I told Sam I would call you and tell you she's safe. That's a hell of a lot more than the police can give you right now…." I tried to steady my breathing and find the strength to speak again, still finding it hard to believe we were speaking after all this time, "Sam is really upset, Brooke. I don't know why she came here, but she did and she doesn't want you to be upset…she just wanted to protect you. That's all. Don't be upset." _

_"…So you know then….? You….know?" I contemplated telling her and decided to just fully rip the band aid._

_"Haley called me right before Sam showed up on my doorstep a little while ago…" _

_"That's just fucking wonderful, Tutor Blabber Mouth…" Her voice was dripping in sarcasm and I knew she'd be pissed at Haley for calling._

_"You can't blame her for calling me, Brooke…Look, I have something I need to take care of in Tree Hill, a project I've been working there that I need to come there and check on. I have a meeting with Red Bedroom in the morning that's kind of a really big deal…" I glanced over at the clock, I guess it would only be a few hours now, "Haley was actually going to be flying out here for it….but she's not now….anyway, I can take Sam with me to the meeting since I don't want her to be alone you know with everything going on…and then after the meeting I can bring her back to Tree Hill…." _

_"…You….Bring…Sam back to Tree Hill?" _

_"I mean…what would you rather me do Brooke? Send her on her way by herself? Or you come here…?" All I heard was silence…. "Yeah…that's what I thought….I need to come out there for this project, and I have to meet Haley for the duet with Mia anyway…" _

_"Can I talk to Sam now?" Her voice was a little softer now, a little less sharp. I'm surprised our conversation lasted as long as it had. _

_"Sure, let me go get her. She's scared to talk to you Brooke, go easy on her…" _

_"Ha… she flew across the country without me knowing and you want me to be easy on her?" _

_"She's scared she's going to lose you Brooke, and I know how horrible of a feeling that truly is…" I was surprising myself with how open I was being with her, but for some reason I felt like I owed it to Sam somehow, "Go easy on her, and please be safe tonight" I handed the phone over to Sam with an encouraging nod as I heard them begin to talk and finally, once my back was turned to Sam and I was back in the kitchen let the tears fall freely from my face. I missed having Brooke Davis in my life, just hearing her voice jolted a million memories back to the forefront and this was going to be a lot harder than I thought. _

_**End Flashback**_

"Welcome to Tree Hill, North Carolina as we approach please put on your seatbelts. We hope you had a great flight and thank you for flying United Airlines"

Oh shit. Oh shit. How was I going to handle seeing Brooke again? I wasn't ready for this. And where was Xavier? I knew that I was going to do everything in my power to make sure Sam and Brooke were safe…no matter the consequences.

_Three months and I'm still sober_

_Picked all my weeds but kept the flowers_

_But I know, it's never really over  
And I don't know_

_I could crash and burn but maybe_

_At the end of this road_

_I might catch a glimpse of me_

As Sam and I waited for Mia to come out of first class, the three of us walked off the terminal and approached baggage claim. Sam still found it awesome that I got to travel everywhere with a celebrity and we were currently being swarmed by fans as we waited for our bags and Mia signed countless autographs, I couldn't help but be nervous I knew she'd be picking us up and I knew that this added attention meant added attention to Sam which made me nervous so I clung on to her arm for dear life.

I glanced over and spotted her standing there approaching us, looking like I had just seen her yesterday and felt my heart catch in my throat. She was wearing a simple black shirt and jeans, but she looked amazing.

"It's going to be okay, Peyt," Sam gave me a reassuring smile.

_So I won't worry about my timing_

_I wanna get it right_

_No comparing, second guessing_

_No, not this time  
Three months and I'm still breathing_

_Been a long road since those hands_

_I left my tears in but I know_

_It's never really over, no, wake up_

Haley and Brooke finally made it over to us in which they embraced Sam for dear life. Haley quickly ran up to me and gave me a huge hug. I chuckled into the hug, "Good to see you too, Hales"

"Hey Brooke…" We locked eyes, keeping our distance from each other. We were in the same room as each other for the first time in almost two years. In my world, it was as if suddenly nothing else mattered, nothing else ever mattered, and I knew that there was no one else like Brooke Davis. No one else would ever matter like Brooke would, they would never compare.

"Hi Peyton…" Yeah. This was going to be much harder than I thought.

_Three months and I'm still standing here_

_Three months and I'm getting better, yeah_

_Three months and I still am  
Three months and it's still harder now_

_Three months I've been living here without you now_

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Also, the song is "Sober" by Kelly Clarkson, it's incredible if you've never heard it. Definitely suggest you listen to it and it definitely seemed very fitting for this chapter.


	5. How Am I Going to Get Through This?

Thank you all for the reads and the reviews, the next part is up! Let me know what you think! I got some motivation thanks to On The Hill :) Enjoy the next chapter!

* * *

The car ride was deafeningly silent, I could barely stand it. All I could think about was what was going through Brooke's head. Haley must've been thinking the same thing, because she was the one to break the silence…

"So…uhhh…Peyt, why don't you and Mia come over for dinner tonight…It's been so long since all of us have been together, it'll be fun." I could feel Brooke's evil glare to Haley...Fun wasn't necessarily the term I would deem for dinner together.

"You know what Hales, that's okay, we are both really tired….long flight, right Mia?" I glanced over at her, hoping she'd pick up on my hint.

"What? Hell no! Of course we'll be there Hales! I'd never pass up free, home cooked food! Especially Haley's! Besides, we need to get the schedule together for the duet anyway since it looks like Peyton and I will be around for awhile, right Peyt?"

"….Sureeeee….." I just heard Brooke scoffing in the front seat, her eyes remaining focused on the window outside. No one knew what happened between Brooke and me all that time ago, Haley, Nathan, and Mia knew about our relationship and I think Sam had a vague idea. But no one knew how it ended, they just knew it ended on bad terms and that it was a sore subject to bring up to either of us. Just like it had been in high school with the love triangle drama.

And then I thought about it, when was the last time all of us had had dinner together? It had to have been when we celebrated finishing Mia's album. That was an amazing night…other than the awkwardness with Lucas. It was so sad that it had come to this, all of us being so apart from each other, we used to be an inseparable family…. I had been gone from this place for so long, yet it felt like it was just yesterday we were promising each other that we would all be together again in four years, remaining unchanged, innocent, free.

"Great, bring wine and be over by six, we can't wait, Jamie will be so excited to see you Peyton!" Haley said as she pulled up to Mia and I's hotel. I had been so lost in my thoughts, I hadn't realized we were here already, Brooke still remained unmoved looking out the window. I looked down at my watch and realized it was already 4:20 East Coast time and Mia and I jumped out and started unloading our bags. Sam stood outside the car and I saw her eyes welling again…

"Hey, none of that, alright? I will see you at dinner in just a bit, I'm not going anywhere, I promise." She leaped into me and I didn't think she'd let go. At this point, Haley had gotten out of the car as well and was helping Mia with the last of her luggage. I looked over and saw Brooke staring at us through the side mirror, when our eyes caught, she looked down. I pulled out of the hug, "you need to stay with Brooke, she needs you right now, and I will be at Naley's in a little bit, okay?"

I saw her wiping her eyes and she turned to hug Mia, Mia was always great with her "See ya in a bit superstar", Sam chuckled at her, gave my hand one last squeeze, and got back in Haley's Range Rover and drove off. I couldn't help but stare until I couldn't make out the car anymore… "Come on, you really need a shower"

"Gee, thanks Mia! Not all of us flew first class!" I throw back at her. I was going to need something more than a shower to get through this dinner alive.

As we threw our bags down in our rooms that were conjoined, I threw myself on my king sized bed and began to think about how I got to this place. It all seemed so easy leaving high school, conquer the world, be great, be happy. But things were never that easy were they? I remember leaving high school and Brooke and I spending the best summer of my life in LA, that's when it all started….our secret relationship. It turned into so much more over the years, and if I'm trying to be honest with myself I was always in love with her. It was always Brooke. Things got harder when I stayed in LA to go to school and continue my internship with Sire Records and Brooke went to New York. That's when Clothes over Bro's blew up into the multimillion dollar franchise it is today…and that's when the problems started, the distance, Bitchoria, and of course, Lucas. He flew to LA, proposed, I broke his heart and said no. How could I give my heart to someone when it never fully belonged to him in the first place?

I remember my desperate phone call four years later that changed it all and brought us back together in distance again. _I miss you, I guess I just miss all of it. _I had never been happier picking her up at the airport that day. We lived together and tried to keep our relationship a secret, still, due to her social status, still Lucas, and her fear. I tried to be understanding. I loved her. I would wait forever if I had to. Sam came into our lives. I was fiercely protective. Brooke was attacked, I tried to not let her push me away. And then… that day I came home and that conversation happened that I feared was coming for months, but I was holding onto her for dear life. She left me there heartbroken. She ended it. Never even fought for us. I left for LA the next day. For good, away from her. It was too hard.

**_People always leave. _**My head was a swirling mess of confusion, **_where did it all go wrong?_**

I saw Mia's head pop into my room with a toothbrush sticking out of her mouth, "BITCH! Are you getting ready or what? We gotta go soon!"

* * *

It was 5:58 when we got to Nathan and Haley's. I knew Lucas would be here too, which would just add to the double weirdness factor. Two exes, one night = the intention of one drunk Peyton Sawyer.

"Let's just get drunk and try to have fun, what do you say?" I nodded my head to Mia as she knocked on the door, I inhaled deeply; internally telling myself that I could get through this, and was hoping it was showing externally.

As Mia and I walked in the front door after Haley greeted each of us with a warm hug and smile, we walked towards the kitchen and I was greeted with one very, very excited James Lucas Scott, "Aunt Peyton! They said you were coming I couldn't believe it until I saw it for myself!" The little boy always knew how to pull on my heartstrings and was into my arms in a matter of seconds.

"Well, I guess the rumors are true then, huh? Did you miss me?"

"Only like a TON!"

"Yeah? And you weigh a ton! You must've grown like a foot since I've seen you last buddy!" He started laughing hysterically and I had forgotten how much I missed his laugh.

"It hasn't been THAT long since we've seen you, Mama and I just saw you a few months ago in LA silly." I couldn't help but start to feel happy again just being in the little boys presence.

"Oh right, I forgot…you still missed me though right?" I looked at him with pouty lips and I had forgotten everyone else was still there.

"Of course I did! Sam does too, and Aunt Brooke." He said as he leaned over and hugged with all his little seven year old might and I was pretty astonished. Brooke Davis was never one to wear her heart on her sleeve, even with me, the person closest to her heart, so for a seven year old to be perceptive of this was making me a little curious. I caught Brooke staring again and his comment had made her nervous and caused her to fidget with her fingers, something she always did when she was nervous. I sat the little boy down and kneeled down next to him, trying to distract myself from looking at her.

"I brought you something…" I pulled out the bag that been in my hands and handed it to him and waited for him to tear it open and I watched his whole face light up.

"OH MY GOD! This is awesome! MAMA! Aunt Peyton got me the brand new Rock Band! Do you know how long I've wanted this! This is so cool! I'm so glad you're home! Will you play it with me later?"

"Of course buddy, go have fun." And with that, the little boy was bounding towards the TV and my safety net was now out of reach, I wish I was able to just hang out with him all night and not talk to anyone else. I looked around and the whole gang was there, Mouth, Millie, Skills, Brooke, Sam, Lucas, Nathan, and Haley and now Mia and I.

I heard Brooke, "Well at least someone's glad you're back home." As she cut her eyes and cut past me sharply, I knew this would be the first of many digs this evening.

"Haley, where are those drinks?" Yeah, I was going to need some type of alcohol to be some type of relaxed to get through tonight.

"Hey skinny girl! Shot to celebrate you being home?" He picked me up and spun me around, who couldn't love Skills Taylor?

"Absolutely! You remember Mia right?" He nodded as we all downed a shot. Mouth, Millie, Lucas, Nathan, and Sam all walked into the kitchen they had been in the living room and welcomed Mia and I.

"Alright, dinner will be ready in 15 minutes guys! Try not to kill each other while I'm finishing getting everything ready!" Hales said as she continued chopping up food and moving quickly around the kitchen with a towel over her shoulder. I poured another drink.

"Hey Peyton, it's been awhile…" Yeah. I still wasn't drunk enough for this.

"Yeah, it has Luke… how's everything? How's your writing coming? Haley said you've had a bit of writers block?"

"Yeah…. Still slow moving…. Still coaching the Ravens with Skills though. You look great Peyton, I've missed you…" Ugh. Why? Why those words?

"That's great Luke, I really need to go catch up with Sam though and talk to Nate. I'll be seeing ya." I said to him as I walked away. God, Lucas Scott. The boy that got in-between Brooke and I so many times and when I saw him again I still feel nothing, no spark. I downed my drink. I kept asking myself that same question, how had I gotten into this mess?

I ducked out of the kitchen and went and leaned down the hallway hoping to catch a breath and get away from the crowd, my head was starting to get a little foggy from all the drinks I had downed so quickly. "Mind if I join you, should've known you'd be back to your old broodish ways camping out solo away from the crowd so quickly, what are you doing out here Sawyer?"

"Hi Nate…" I smiled at his concern and leaned into his hug immediately inhaling his familiar scent. He'd been my oldest friend, other than Brooke, and words couldn't express how proud I was of the man he'd turned into, the man I always knew he could be. An amazing husband and father, and the man who got his dream of becoming an NBA pro player, "it just felt a little crowded in there all of a sudden."

"Brooke?"

"And Lucas. All in one night….but mainly Brooke. I just miss her. And hate the death glares I'm getting shot across the room."

"She's going through a lot, and she misses you too. She'd never admit that, you know how stubborn Brooke Davis is… I've missed you Peyton. Things aren't the same without you around."

"Thanks Nate…"

"Hey, it'll work out, maybe you two should try to be civil and talk to each other like adults. And besides with this whole Xavier thing, Brooke and Sam need all the support they can get right now, whether she's going to admit that or not, no matter what happened between you guys, just keep that in mind."

"Yeah…." I knew he was right. For our friends sake and for Sam, I had to do everything I could to help and make things civilized so we could at least be okay with our friends. We heard the yell come from the kitchen.

"Dinner is served everyone! James Lucas Scott, stop playing that game and come eat!" Time for another drink.

"Come on Sawyer, that game is totally your fault by the way!" He said he dragged me to the dining room for dinner.

* * *

We all sat awkwardly around the table trying to make meaningless small talk about things that didn't matter.

"So….uhhhh…Nate, you're getting back out on the road soon, right?" I said, trying to keep the mood light as everyone passed the food around the table.

"Yup, practice with the team starts next month, Jamie's been helping me practice right little man?"

"Sure have daddy" I still couldn't stop staring at Brooke, who wouldn't look up from her plate of food and had two glasses of wine in front of her, she was probably trying to fend off the nerves the same way I was.

"Well, I guess now's a good of time as any… Mia has big news that we can finally share, Haley already knows…. But…. Well, go ahead Mia…."

"I am co-headlining my tour with Maroon 5! How flippin' cool is that?!"

"DUDE! That's AWESOME! Can I come to some of the shows?" Sam said super excitedly.

"Of course you can Sam" I said softly which resulted in finally some emotion from one very upset Brooke Davis.

"What the fuck Peyton!" She shouted across the table and Jamie immediately put his hands to his ears.

"Brooke! Language! Seven year old at the table! " Haley said. It didn't seem to slow Brooke down from whatever tyrant she was about to go on, and in some ways, I was just ready to get this over with. At least an argument with me was some form of communication.

"Sorry Haley, but Jesus Christ Peyton! You can't just waltz in here and act like you haven't been gone all this time, act like you didn't fucking leave us all here and just invite people to your bullshit rock concerts. It's not right. This isn't normal, none of this is normal. I can't believe you all can just sit around here and act like this is all just fucking great! Nobody wants you here Peyton!" Haley had gotten up and taken Jamie upstairs who was still covering his ears, figuring this was probably going to get ugly and in some ways, she had probably expected it. I should've known Brooke would make a scene in front of all of our friends, but I was having a hard time keeping my emotions in check and swallowed as I tried to hold back the tears welling in my eyes. I felt Sam's hand on my knee under the table, showing me she was here for me.

"You're forgetting Brooke that you LEFT ME, remember? You left me as a shell of the person I was and I had to pick up the pieces and put my life back together. I never left. You left! I've stayed in contact and seen everyone many times since I went back to LA, I talk to everyone almost everyday… so I'm sorry if you all feel like maybe I abandoned you when you needed me…" I made sure to look directly in Brooke's eyes as I said the last part, "….But I'm here Brooke… I've always been here. Excuse me." I said as I pushed up from the table, grabbed the bottle of Jack Daniels off the counter, and walked outside onto the back deck, furiously throwing the bottle to my head. How the hell long could I deal with being in Tree Hill before I spiraled out of control? It ached too much. I could feel the tears stinging in my eyes.

"Well…. That was really something…." Mia said as she sat on the step beside me and held her hand out for the bottle, I handed it to her and she took a large swig to her head.

"She drives me absolutely fucking insane. I was just trying to be civil to her and be nice to Sam. I love Sam. Why the fuck did she go and do that in front of all of our friends…?" I said as I took the bottle back from her and took a large gulp. I just wanted this hurt to go away.

"Well, if it helps, they all pretty much laid into her and were on your side about it after you came out here, you've been a good friend to them Peyton. You've done so much for me Peyton, for Sam, and for Brooke… she's just hurting right now."

"I just want us to be able to be civil, we are going to be here awhile you know? It'd be nice if we could get along. She's the one that broke my heart…. And she can't even find the nerve to be civil? Fucking Brooke Davis. She's always had this way of getting under my fucking skin. But now, I guess we'll permanently remain strangers to each other with this connection only to Sam. And I guess I am just going to have to find some way to deal with this pain I feel everyday knowing that."

I heard the sound of a throat clearing. Mia and I both jumped, unaware that we weren't alone. When we turned around, I was very surprised to see a very nervous, broken looking Brooke Davis.

"Can we talk?"


	6. Gravity

Thank you guys all for the PMs and the reviews on the last chapter! It means so much to me and keeps me motivated to keep writing! I promise, I have big ideas for this story and it's building. A few people were concerned with Brooke's character and her coming across as somewhat bitchy, I hope that's explained in this chapter. I am very much trying to keep true to their characteristics and be in tune with how I think Peyton/Brooke react and would act with each other given the circumstances. If that's not coming across, I'm sorry :(

Also, I hope everyone had a very happy 4th of July for all of you in the States! AND! In other very, VERY exciting news, did you hear that we will get an ACTUAL BREYTON REUNION in October at the OTH Con! Both Hilarie and Sophia will be there, along with Joy & James and several others! EXCITEMENT! :) Anyway, onto the next chapter, enjoy! And as always, read and review!

* * *

_Something always brings me back to you.  
It never takes too long.  
No matter what I say or do I'll still feel you here 'til the moment I'm gone._

Mia and I locked eyes as I took another swig of the liquid courage in the bottle of front of me and neither of us said a word as I handed the bottle back to her.

She cleared her throat and her voice was a little bit stronger this time, "Peyton, come on… can we just talk for a minute?" Mia and I still kept our eyes locked as she handed the bottle back to me and I finally felt my resolve breaking and my anger with her rising, my anger after all our time apart, at her leaving, at my time in LA alone, that she never came for me, all of it, I surprised myself with my harsh response. I was furious.

"What's the matter, Brooke? Didn't get enough shitty remarks in at the table in front of our friends? Mia's not really a big enough audience for a Brooke Davis Production I don't think. I think we've talked enough and I've got nothing left to say to you. I'm all talked out." I brought my lips back to the bottle and tried to fight back the warm heat I could feel building behind my eyes. Why did Brooke Davis still do this to me after all this time? The answer was simple. _Gravity._ I still hadn't met her eyes, I knew if I did….

"Peyton…please…" Her voice was soft, fragile, pleading. I finally looked up to meet her eyes and knew I would cave and hear her out.

Mia finally spoke up to try to ease the thickly tense air, "Why don't I go back inside and help Haley clean up dinner, you gonna be okay out here Peyt?" I nodded yes. "Try not to kill each other." With that Mia stood up, stroked my hair softly, and walked back inside. I bored holes into the door as she walked inside afraid to have this conversation with Brooke, afraid to be alone with her after all this time, afraid.

"Can I sit?" I brought the bottle to my head again. I couldn't deal with this and my head was foggy.

"Free country" I mumbled back and I felt her sit on the step next to me. I still couldn't look at her, even though I felt her staring at me.

_You hold me without touch.  
You keep me without chains.  
I never wanted anything so much than to drown in your love and not feel your reign._

"I'm sorry for going off at the table like that, I've been having a really hard time with Sam running off, with this Xavier thing…and now with you being back… it's all just been really hard. And you know how I react when I feel cornered." Cornered? CORNERED? I scoffed at her.

"Cornered Brooke? Really? Tree Hill is my home too, not just yours! If I recall, we came back here for each other. Do you have any idea how much it hurts me to think that no one wants me here? Oh, and you fucking act like I knew Sam was going to show up on my doorstep what the fuck did you want me to do Brooke, ship her back here by herself?!" I was getting angrier and angrier.

"I know that now….but how does that make me feel Peyton? Sam came running to YOU literally. And away from ME. She wanted YOU. Not me. I feel like a failure to her all the time… like I can't protect her. She flew across the country to get away from me and go to you because she missed you that much… I mean… I just…" I felt like this was the part where I would offer some words of comfort… but I just couldn't bring myself to say them. I was still so angry at her for the spectacle she made at dinner so I remained silent and waited for her to continue, meeting her eyes.

She exhaled deeply and put her hands to her head rubbing her temple as I kept fidgeting with my necklace, a nervous habit I'd developed, she must've noticed and I saw her head snap back up, "Why do you keep messing with that necklace anyway? You have been all night." Shit… she couldn't know what this necklace was….

"Get to the point Brooke. I'm losing patience."

"Right…. I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm…. I'm jealous Peyton." WHAT? Brooke Davis was JEALOUS? Did I hear that correctly? I wasn't that drunk, was I?

"WHAT? You're jealous? JEALOUS of what?" Are you fucking kidding me?" I couldn't take it anymore and I jumped up from the step, suddenly feeling uncomfortable with our proximity, when I felt her arm catch mine. It was the first time we had touched in almost two years and my eyes instantly met hers as I pulled away from her and leaned against the deck my back to her as I faced the pool and wondered what it'd be like to just jump in and stop having this conversation. I whispered back, "What could you possibly be jealous of Brooke?"

I felt her stand and lean next to me, "Ummmm geeeee. I don't know Peyton. That Sam would rather be with you than with me. The way Jamie is with you. The way everyone is with you. The way everyone wants you around…the way I want you around…." She whispered the last part that I wasn't even sure I heard it, maybe I had imagined it, I mean, I had been drinking after all. "…I didn't mean what I said Peyton… I'm sorry. I apologized to everyone else… I let my emotions get the best of me and I haven't been sleeping. I've been a huge mess and a royal bitch. And I got jealous. I admit it. And I've been insanely nervous to be around you again. It's been a long time since we've been near each other and been Brooke and Peyton…" She leaned over and our hands brushed, jolting sensations throughout myself I hadn't felt in so long, I was being pulled into her again. _Gravity._ Not that I had ever really left. I know that at any given moment, if she had called and needed me over the past two years I would've been on the next flight to Tree Hill. We were best friends after all for so long, we protected each other fiercely, and deep down, if I had called her, I know she would've done the same.

_Set me free, leave me be. I don't want to fall another moment into your gravity.  
Here I am and I stand so tall, just the way I'm supposed to be.  
But you're on to me and all over me._

"…There is no Brooke and Peyton, Brooke. You made this clear the day I left to go back to LA or did you forget? There is a Brooke. And a Peyton. Or a shell of who Peyton was before Brooke destroyed her. I'm trying to find my way again…" The words fell out of my mouth with so much built up anger, never having had the chance to talk about what happened that day, it was something I often sat on my balcony in LA and stewed about which caused many sleepless nights, wondering why she ended it the way she had, wondering if there was more to it than I knew, wondering if I could've done something to stop it, change the outcome, all the what ifs that I never had the answers to….

"It didn't just affect you Peyton! It affected me too…There's something you need to know about that day…" Well, there was something I hadn't expected… what could've happened that I didn't know… I met her eyes waiting for her to continue as she tried to find the words as tears began to stream down her cheeks. I had my opinion so set on what had happened that nothing she would say would surprise me. Just as she was about to speak, we were interrupted.

"Hey Peyt…sorry to interrupt, but Jamie wants his Aunt Peyton to come tuck him in, he's really excited you're home, you mind?" I hadn't even notice that Haley had opened the sliding glass door.

"Of course I don't mind Hales, we were done here anyway." I tore my eyes from Brooke's who looked devastated and headed inside, away from her. I decided then and there that I couldn't do this with Brooke, she had had almost two years to call, text, email, facebook, visit, **_something, ANYTHING_**, why was she going to do this now? I couldn't handle it. I just had to get away from her and go to my nephew, the easier things in life.

_You loved me 'cause I'm fragile.  
When I thought that I was strong.  
But you touch me for a little while and all my fragile strength is gone._

* * *

"Well, if it isn't my two most favorite people in the whole world, is there room for me in there?" I said from Jamie's doorway as I watched Sam reading to him, it amazed me how great she was with him after everything she'd been through growing up.

"I thought Aunt Brooke was your favorite person in the world, Aunt Peyton?" Leave it to Jamie to always be oh so intuitive and to always catch you off guard, I was going to keep trying the side stepping tactic and see where it'd get with him.

"Yeah yeah… listen is there room for me in that bed or not?"

"I think we can find room for you, you're skinny." He said laughing hysterically as I jumped in the bed with them and began tickling him relentlessly.

"Oh you think it's funny, do you? DO YOU?"

"I give up…. I give up…." He finally caught his breath and sighed heavily leaning against me completely content as I leaned over and kissed his forehead.

"Everything okay, buddy? Your mama said you wanted me to come up here and tuck you in? But from the looks of it Sam was reading you a wicked cool story, right Sam!?"

"Totally was Peyt! But little J. Luke was upset before you came up, weren't you buddy?" She smiled that smile that overtook her whole face and ran her hands through Jamie's hair.

"What's wrong buddy?" I said as I leaned over and started brushing his arms in the only comforting way I knew, I never thought I was great with kids, but God did I love this boy.

"Well, you know how I was covering my ears from the adult words at the table? I still heard Aunt Brooke…and I am upset with her… I mean…. Everyone wants you here. We all miss you. Sam misses you. I miss you. Uncle Lucas misses you. Mama and Daddy miss you. Even Chester missed you… and I know Aunt Brooke missed you too. I guess I just don't understand…but I just don't want you to leave." I leaned over and looked at Sam sadly, knowing she knew this was why the little boy was upset.

"Oh buddy, you shouldn't be worried about this kind of stuff, alright? I am glad that you missed me though! And you know I have to leave, not right away, but eventually, I live in LA with Mia buddy, remember? You guys have been to visit."

"I know, but I wished you lived here… like before. I miss you." I felt like I was having dejavu as he uttered those words as I remembered having a similar conversation in Brooke and I's place under the bridge many lifetimes ago it seemed and I uttered….

"Like before is gone, buddy." We sat in silence for bit as we all laid there in bed and I could feel him slowly drifting but I knew he was still awake so I kept rubbing lazy circles on his back, concern lacing my mind, he was far too young to be worried about such big things.

_Set me free, leave me be. I don't want to fall another moment into your gravity.  
Here I am and I stand so tall, just the way I'm supposed to be.  
But you're on to me and all over me._

I hadn't realized Brooke had been standing in the doorway listening to our conversation until I heard her clear her throat, she was getting good at eavesdropping and I wondered how much she had heard.

"Sorry, I came to collect my child…you ready to go home Sam?" We all turned our heads to face her, and it was then I realized she'd been crying. They probably couldn't notice, but I knew Brooke Davis well, better than most, better than anyone actually, I saw behind the façade of it all, behind the walls, behind the celebrity, I saw the girl who rarely let her vulnerability out, but when she did it was always with me. And then it dawned on me… going home? Alone?

"Wait a minute, you two aren't actually going home alone, are you?!" I said as I snapped my head at Sam who just locked eyes at me, shrugged her shoulders and leaned down and kissed Jamie's forehead.

"What's the matter with them going home alone Aunt Peyton?" _Shit._ The little boy said sleepily as Sam's lips left his forehead and she slowly got out of bed.

She replied, "Nothing buddy, close your eyes." He still wasn't letting go of Sam's hand.

"Will you be here when I wake up Aunt Peyton? You didn't play rock band with me like you promised."

"I won't be here when you wake up, Mia and I have to go back to the hotel baby…but I do promise that we will play rock band tomorrow. I promise."

"Cross your heart?" He said with a furrowed brow and lifted his free hand to my heart as if to cross it.

"Cross my heart. I am going to go talk to Sam and Brooke in the hallway before they leave, close your eyes. Night baby."

"Remember what I told you Aunt Peyton, we all want you here, okay?" He said as he released Sam and I's hands and yawned sleepily and closed his eyes, I couldn't help but dart my eyes to Brooke who looked like the floor was really interesting.

"I know baby. Say goodnight to Aunt Brooke." Brooke finally looked up and entered the room as Sam and I went and stood by the doorway, her leaning into me, the exhaustion taking over her, it had been a long few days for her and I knew she was exhausted, so I immediately took my hands to her brunette locks and ran my hands through them as she leaned sleepily into me. I was just happy to have Sam back in my life, if only for a little while.

"I'm mad at you…"

"I know, I'm mad at myself…. Let's talk more about this tomorrow? Get some sleep. I love you."

"I love you too, but be nice to Aunt Peyton, I don't want her to leave again. I like her being here with us… she belongs in Tree Hill. Not in LA." I heard her deeply sigh. Poor Brooke… I decided I should cut in and do something and Sam and I walked back over to his bed.

"Alright, buddy what did I tell you? Bed time! I love you. Stop trying to delay it!" And in that moment he grabbed both Brooke and I's hands causing them to touch each other's lightly and again, all I could think of was I pulled to her by _gravity_. I always would be. He looked over to Sam and smiled at her before fully closing his eyes.

"I love you too Sammy"

She replied to him with a smile, "Love you too Jimmie Jam. Go to bed!"

_I live here on my knees as I try to make you see that you're everything I think I need here on the ground.  
But you're neither friend nor foe though I can't seem to let you go.  
The one thing that I still know is that you're keeping me down.  
You're keeping me down, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah_

* * *

I shut the door to Jamie's room and the three of us stood out in the hall as I tried to form my thoughts, Sam must've been sensing my discomfort as she was the first to break the awkward silence.

"Peyt, I appreciate you being worried, but Brooke and I talked and we are going to be fine at the house… we are going to try not to let this control us. We've got an alarm and we will call you guys if anything happens, right Brooke?"

"I don't like this. I don't think you guys should be there alone, it makes me nervous, that psycho is out there…and…and…I just don't like it… anything could happen." The thought alone made me sick to my stomach thinking of them being in that house and that sicko watching, it terrified me to think of something happening to either one of them and it being out of my control.

As my head reeled in thoughts, I heard Brooke finally speak up, "Sam's right, we talked about it with Nate and Hales too, they aren't thrilled with us and they want us to stay here. But Sam and I want to stay in our own house. We can't let him being out keep us from staying at our own home. That means he wins…. And I'm not letting him win anymore. Right Sam?"

"Right." I knew Brooke was saying that, but I knew she was terrified completely and putting on a front, I wanted to shake her and snap her out of it.

"Fine then, you guys have it all sorted it sounds like, it's not my business any way…. Do what you want." I felt the tears pooling in my eyes for what felt like the millionth time tonight at the harsh reality of the situation, it truly wasn't my business anymore, Sam wasn't my foster daughter, and Brooke wasn't mine… but why did it hurt so much? I was broken from my thoughts again by the sounds of someone coming up the steps.

"Hey, you about ready to go Peyt? It's getting late and everyone's already left. Besides, we need to be at the studio tomorrow with Hales." Mia quietly confronted.

"Yeah, I've had enough fun for one night. Let's get out of here." We all started making our way downstairs, Mia and Sam going first as they became involved in a conversation. I felt her soft hand graze my arm and tug my elbow slightly.

"Peyton, can we finish our conversation from earlier sometime? I really think there are some things you should know…"

"What's the point Brooke? You've had almost two years to say them and never did. It must not have mattered. I must not have mattered."

She quickly answered, "You always mattered, Peyton, always."

"Just don't keep Sam from me, please? There's somewhere I want to take her tomorrow. I've been working on a project here for the past year and I'd like to show it to her if that's okay with you…"

"Of course it's okay with me… But…." No… I couldn't let her continue… I knew I would fall. I couldn't allow myself the heartbreak all over again, could I?

"Great, thanks!" With that I bounded down the rest of the steps, away from her, saying my goodbyes, and jumping into the passenger side of the rental car with Mia, knowing I would never be able to sleep tonight thinking about her and the hold she still had over me. The hold she would always have over me.

_You're on to me, on to me, and all over...  
Something always brings me back to you.  
It never takes too long._

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Read and review! The song is Gravity by Sara Bareilles, seriously one of my all time favorites, and one that very much reminds me of Breyton :) Those two are bound together.


	7. Red String of Fate

Thank you all so much for all the reviews on the last chapter! All your reviews mean so much! I hope you guys are enjoying my story! Please let me know if you'd like me to continue!

This chapter goes out to On The Hill for always reviewing my story, it means so much to me! I love your story! Can't wait to see what happens next!

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I stood at the door, after a sleepless night, motionless. I knew I looked like shit. I couldn't bring myself to knock. _How could I knock on a door that I once called home? _Sure. I still had the key. I had brought my hand to the door to knock at least five times now. _Just do it Peyton._ I reach my free hand to the door again, determined that I'm going to knock this time, only just before I do. I'm met with an open door.

"Good morning"

"Hey Brooke…uhhh I was just about to knock."

"You forget that you used to live here? I could see you from the kitchen, I was wondering if you were ever going to knock…"

"Right…." I said as I shifted my eyes inside wondering if she'd ever let me in…

"Oh, right…well come in, Sam was just finishing up in the shower, she's probably almost ready."

"Awesome…well, uh… this is for you," I said as I handed her the hot beverage, "Figured your taste hadn't changed that much…" She looked at me raising an eyebrow, "In coffee, I mean." We both somewhat laugh nervously. I had missed this woman beyond words.

"Hazelnut. No foam. Light on the sugar. You remembered." She said as she took another sip as we met eyes and I nodded to her. Of course I remembered. I remembered everything about this girl, every freckle (like the one just below her collarbone) and every scar (like the one I accidentally gave her drunkenly just above her elbow when we were 16 when I burned her with her hair straightener). I could never forget. While Brooke walked further into the kitchen and reached to put her coffee down, I looked briefly around the house. Not much had changed. I hadn't realized how much I missed this house, the smell of it intoxicating. My eyes caught a picture frame on the side table by the stairs, she hadn't changed it out since I'd left and my mind immediately flooded back to memories of that day. My eyes couldn't leave the frame; I slowly traced my fingers over it remembering one of the best days of my life.

* * *

_**Flashback**_

_It had been 3 months, 4 days, 8 hours, and 28 minutes since I had last seen her… not that I was counting. Things had been hectic, given my full time class and work schedule and her VERY demanding, overbearing mother and work schedule in New York. It was spring break and I had flown out immediately after my last midterm to see her, knowing Brooke, she had plans in store for us that evening…and boy did she ever._

_"You are so drunk Brookie, come on…" _

_"Oh whatever, P. Sawyer you act like you aren't drunk! You're just as wasted as I am baby and you know it" She said as she latched her arm around my waist and I dragged her along by her shoulders down the still buzzing New York City streets. _

_"Well maybbbbbe if someone hadn't have dragged my ass out to every club in New York City as soon as I'd gotten off the plane, we wouldn't have ended up in this condition, seriously, how much longer until we're back at your place Brooke, we've been walking forever…" _

_"Oh…P. Sawyer, you know me and directions when I'm drunk, I thought you had this… Besides, the night isn't over just yet my Missy Blonde Girl, I have more surprises planned for us… let's go do something even more wild, what do you say, you up for it?" _

_How could I refuse Brooke Davis when she was leaning on me breathing into my ear like that, causing my breath to hitch with every step we took, "And just what would that be B. Davis?" Her sudden stopped movements caused me to look up at her, her hands sliding out from underneath my leather jacket, I looked up at the building she was looking at and shook my head like she had officially lost her mind, the blinking lights indicting they were in fact open and I saw Brooke's face light up like a kid opening presents on Christmas morning. "Absolutely not, no way! Not going to happen Brooke!" I said as I attempted to storm off, she caught my arm. _

_"Peyt, we've been talking about doing this for how long now? Come on! What better time than when we are wasted! Besides, you were jealous for MONTHS when Lucas and I got matching tattoos… I want something to cover that hideous reminder… Please Peyt… Pleaseeee…." I knew I was going to cave, and the reality was, I wanted Brooke to get that damn tattoo covered, it just reminded me of him with her and the whole idea of that just made me want to be sick, I knew this would be another battle I'd lose against one Brooke Davis. She leaned in closer to me and pulled the hair off my neck and whispered, "Besides, I will make it worth your while later…. I promise…" How could I refuse? _

_We walked into the tattoo shop, which was quite busy with many drunken visitors at this time of night, we began looking through the displays to decide what to get, when a very pierced, very tattooed worker approached us. _

_"Evening ladies, know what you're looking for this evening?" _

_"Matching tattoos….on the pelvic bone area… think you could help us with that buddy…? Brooke flashed her smile at him as she gripped my hand, scared I'd flee at any moment. I didn't like the way he was looking at her up and down staring at her pelvic bone. _

_"Pelvic bone… sure thing beautiful… what kinda tattoo you looking for?" Brooke could sense my growing discomfort with this guy sizing her up and down, it was all I could not to lunge into him and take him out._

_"That's up to my pretty girlfriend to decide." She said with a wink. And with that she leaned over and pecked my lips briefly. And I was dumbfounded. It was the first time she'd ever called me her girlfriend. Sure. We'd been best friends since we were 8. And we had crossed the best friend line a few years ago, but I could never get her to say it. We always said I love you, but it was impossible for her to make the actual title girlfriend commitment, though I know her heart was always with me. _

_Once I finally found my voice from the initial shock, "uhhhh….right….ummm. I just want something, that means something to both of us. Something that will always mean something to both of us." We continued to look through the display books pointing out ones here and there, when one caught my eye, it was beautiful, and showed a string attaching to two people's bodies, so as if we were stood next to each other, they'd fit perfectly: "What's this one?" I said as I pointed down to the drawing. _

_"The Red String of Fate." _

_"What does it mean?"_

_"The concept is that two people who are destined to be together are attached by an invisible red string bound to each other. But the Red String of Fate need not be a literal red string. But whether magic, whether you're born with it or have to have it installed, whether it actively pulls you together or serves only as a passive identifier, the match it suggests for you is your True Love Because Destiny Says So." We looked at each other and smiled. It had all the meaning in the world. I was forever bound to Brooke Davis anyway, everyone knew that. _

_"You called me your girlfriend in there… was that all part of this evil plan of yours to pin me down and get me to do this?" I said as I pinned her against the brick wall opposite of the tattoo shop as we exited._

_"Maybe… Maybe you'll never know…If this is the result, maybe I'll do it more often" and with that we were lost in each other, her hands tangled in my hair and our lips fused together by gravity_.

**End Flashback**

* * *

I hadn't realized the tears that had formed in my eyes with just seeing the picture; it was us, with our arms around each other, her kissing my cheek in the tattoo parlor right after we'd gotten them done. I had to hold her hand the whole time to keep from writhing off the table in pain, but we did it, and it was worth it. Bringing the memory to the forefront of my mind just brought it all back. I hadn't realized I was gripping my left hip at the memory.

"Hey Peyt, you made it…whoa…. You okay?" I hadn't even heard Sam come out of her bedroom, but as my eyes caught with Brooke's I saw her hands latched onto her right hip, lost in the same memory.

"Yeah Sammy, I'm fine… Just went somewhere else for a minute. I brought you coffee. Black, lots of sugar, your favorite." I said handing her the other hot beverage I'd picked up that morning, instantly wiping my eyes with the other hand.

"Thanks Peyt! You're the best!" We both walked into the kitchen as I took one last look at the frame and Sam began collecting her hoodie and the rest of her things, Brooke was leaned against the counter slowly sipping her beverage quietly watching the scene unfold in the kitchen, "So where are we going today anyway? Not that I care, I'm just happy to spend time with you and all I suppose…"

"Can't tell you that… it's a surprise… now would you hurry up! We are meeting someone there and we are going to be late if you don't move your ass!"

"Yeah yeah, whatever, let me just go grab my shoes…" _Great…This isn't awkward at all._ We stood and awkwardly stared at each other for a few moments, tension thick in the air. I've never remembered a time when Brooke and I had awkward silence… this sucks. _At least we aren't yelling at each other again…_

"Sooo…uhhh… how's business going?" It was a stupid question, I know. Before she could answer, my phone could be heard ringing through the air, breaking us from the awkwardness, "Sorry, but I need to get this…"

She smiled and waved her hand dismissively, "Sure thing, understood."

I spun around in the swivel chair with my back towards her, "Hey there handsome, excited to see me today?" I could feel Brooke's questioning gaze on my back. "Uh huh…. I am at Brooke's place collecting her now, should be leaving here in just a minute… so I should be there in 15? See you then." And with that I hung up the phone, turning back around to face Brooke at the counter, with a less than thrilled look on her face. _Is that jealousy I'm sensing? No, she couldn't possible still feel what I do after all this time…_

"So should I ask who Mr. Mysterious is that you're meeting up with my daughter today? I feel like I have a right to know that?" Great. Angry, jealous Brooke was back.

"Don't you trust me at all Brooke? I've never given you reason to doubt me." Her eyes softened a bit at that, and my attention returned to Sam who had just reentered the room.

"Ready to go Peyt? I had to find my iPod too, there's a new killer band on here I want you to listen to on the way to wherever the hell we are going…"

"Samantha, watch your mouth!" Brooke interrupted, and we both briefly smiled at each other as I stood up from my place at the bar across from where she had been leaning at the counter.

"Yup, I'm ready. I won't keep her more than a few hours Brooke." Sam opened the door as we were about to leave to head out, I was still weary of leaving Brooke alone in this house by herself. _But this shouldn't be my concern…she's made her choices…_

"Take your time, I trust you." And in that moment, I couldn't help the overwhelming feeling I got that maybe, somehow, this would turn out alright.

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Read and review :)


	8. Blast from the Past

Thank you so much for the reviews on the last chapter! Hopefully everyone is still enjoying the story! This chapter is unfortunately more foundations, but next chapter should really start getting somewhere. Let me know what you think! Please let and review! Your reviews make my days happy :)

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"You're right, that band was pretty badass Sam! I might have to try to track them down! Alright, we are here, you ready to go in?"

"Here? This looks like an old beat up CD shop?"

"That's exactly what this is… this used to be my favorite place in the world growing up in Tree Hill. They shut it down a few years ago though. Let's go in, my friend should be here by now with the keys." We got out of the car and headed towards the door.

"Wait, keys? Did you buy this place?" I swung the handle to the door open, he must already be here.

"Mayyyyybbbbeeeee… Helllllllllloooooo anyone in here…."

"Well, well, Sawyer….. get over here, I've missed you!"

"Well, well Jake Jagielski, I've missed you!" He said as he picked me up and spun me around. "Jake, this is Sam, Brooke's foster daughter, Sam, this is Jake…we were all friends in high school."

"Oh come on, Sawyer! Is that all I was to you? I better get some ice for that burn!" I took the opportunity to jab him in the ribcage, Sam was finding this all very amusing, "It's nice to finally meet you Sam. I've heard so much about you."

"Interesting…Since I've heard nothing about you…" Good one Sam… I knew the two of them meeting would be fun and they would get along.

"Ouch, another burn Saywer, keeping me a secret are ya?"

"Would I ever Jake?!" We kept laughing and walking around the now empty CD shop.

"So Peyt, what is this? It looks like you guys have completely remodeled in here? Is this that project you've been working on for the past year?"

"This… Samantha Walker, is the gallery I'm opening here in Tree Hill. Jake has been helping me remodel and gut it out over the past year…I am going to put my artwork and paintings and photographs in here. It's always been a dream of mine. It was something Brooke kinda always pressured me into doing but I never did. So I'm finally doing it."

"Wow, Peyt! That's amazing! Does anyone know about this?"

"Just Jake, and now you. You can help me get it set up for the opening though, we shouldn't be but a few weeks away from opening it. It's looking so good in here Jagielski! You've done a great job!"

Jake and I had become close again over the past year, and I suppose I had kept him my secret, but I hadn't been in Tree Hill to talk about it. Truth was, I had missed his friendship more than I realized he was always the best listener and I loved little Jenny, and above all, he always told me to follow my heart, whether that meant breaking his in the process. I was just glad to have gotten our friendship on track again after so much time apart, we would always have a piece of each other's hearts, not romantically, we just understood each other without words, that hadn't changed over the years.

"So Jabba…. was it? Whatever your name is, why are you helping out "SAWYER?"" I knew Sam would grill him on that, I was waiting for it, she was just like me in that regard.

"Let's just say… it's a fair trade, right Sawyer?" We smiled at each other. It was definitely a fair trade.

* * *

_**Flashback**_

_One week. It had only been one week since I had come home that night and Brooke decided to end things and I had up and moved back to L.A, deciding to take Red Bedroom up on their promotion offer. So here I was in L.A. I had completely immersed myself in all things work related to try to drown out the pain in my heart and the fact that my phone hadn't rang with her voice at the other end once. __**Why hadn't she called?**__ I was looking for something fresh, new, different, something out of the ordinary. Something that made me feel alive again. I sat through another long, drawn out meeting with the label going over how things would run now that I'd stepped up to a VP position. I'd earned this and I was proud of myself, but I couldn't help but wish she was here to enjoy it with me. Now, I just needed to find the next best thing… I left for lunch, a rarity that day, deciding to go down to my favorite coffee shop down a little alley way 4 blocks from the Red Bedroom office, it was small and quaint, it reminded me of Tree Hill. As I was paying for my drink, I wasn't expecting to see who was behind me in line…_

_"Oh my God! Jake?"_

_"Peyton?" It's so good to see you!" As he scooped me up into a huge hug. _

_"Likewise! What the hell are you doing in L.A. of all places!? I can't believe I'm running into you here."_

_"Starving artist you know," he said with a smile holding up what appeared to be some demos, "I had a meeting with a record label but it didn't go very well, so I've been passing out my demos to record companies while I'm here, but you know how record labels are, most of them slam the door in my face before I can even give it to them. I'm flying back tomorrow so I guess my shots over." Then it dawned on me. My something new. My something exciting. Why hadn't I thought of Jake before? He was so talented. I knew it all those years ago when he sang in that crummy bar in Savannah. He was singing about someday. __**Today was someday.**_

_"Yeah….those record labels are really something else aren't they? You haven't gone to Red Bedroom Records yet by chance have you?" _

_"No, that's actually my next stop when I leave here." We gathered our coffees and began to walk to a table. _

_"What if I told you that you didn't need to take it to them? What if I took it for you?" _

_"Wait a minute…do you work there or something? Peyton Sawyer!" _

_"I'm kinda like a big deal I guess… you know signing big artists, they call me the "girl that always finds the next big thing…" I said as I playfully flipped my hair. _

_"Wow, Peyton! I had no idea, I'm so happy for you, that's amazing! I knew you'd always make it big time." _

_"So, you gonna give me that demo CD or what?" _

_We ended up sitting and talking away that afternoon, I had found out he recently was awarded full custody of Jenny again and he was going to try to make it as a big time musician to "make his baby girl proud of his daddy". He was also planning on moving back to Tree Hill, permanently in the next few months. He wanted Jenny to grow up where he did and be around his parents. We fell back into our old comfortable ways. _

_"Let me ask you something Peyton, that night you left, did you ever tell Lucas how you felt about him? I've always wondered." I hadn't realized how long ago this was, but it seemed like a lifetime, a million lifetimes, I hadn't thought about Lucas like that in so long. The thought of Lucas in that way actually made me sick, and I wondered if I ever loved him. I don't think I actually did. I know I didn't. No one would ever compare to Brooke. _

_"I… um… I did. That didn't work out so well actually." _

_"I'm sorry. I bet Brooke was pissed huh?" _

_"Ha… Pissed is a good word for it. But actually, we came out stronger when it was all said and done." _

_"I'm glad to hear that, how is Brooke doing anyway?" _

_"Brooke….she's uhhhh…. Well…. I…. I don't know how she is actually." _

_"Peyton. Just so you know, you never fooled me, your heart was truly only ever with one person. And it wasn't Lucas." _

_"I have no idea what you are talking about_ _Jagielski …Tell you what, I will get you this record deal, if you help me with something in Tree Hill." I said to him with a smile. I knew he knew all along. _

_ **End Flashback**_

* * *

"Ah, so that's what this is about? You guys have been helping each other out."

"You could say that, the album will be out soon and it's killer. We will be working on the finishing touches while I'm here. We only have a few songs left. You'll love it!" I told her. "Actually, Jake don't you think it's about time you come outta the closet and let everyone know you're home buddy? I'm sure Lucas and Nathan want to see you and hang out, you can't just keep hanging out with me forever you know."

He looked at me with a raised eyebrow, over our past year together I had confided in him about my relationship with Brooke and told him about the messy details of the split, he was actually the only person who knew about it, it was good to be able to talk to someone who was a complete outsider to the whole situation and didn't judge. He was supportive as always, but pushy as usual too. He wanted me to talk to her as he thought my heart would never be able to move on.

"Me come outta the closet huh? Interesting statement Sawyer… But you know what, you're right. I'm officially moved back and I haven't seen anyone yet. And I'm sure I will be seeing Haley at the studio a bunch, so I need to man up and just do it. A night out would be fun anyway. My parents are keeping Jenny tonight, why don't we get the old gang together to go to Tric? Just like old times?"

"You know what, that could be fun Jake, our next stop is the Naley household anyway, I've gotta make it up to Jamie for not playing rockband with him yesterday. I will tell them to come to Tric tonight, but I'm going to keep you a surprise."

"Sounds like a plan. Guess we aren't going to get much work done today."

"Oh come on Jake! I just got back and I wanted to see the place and show Sam what we've been working on, it's not like you had anything to do today anyway! Do you approve Sam?"

"Yeah Peyt! This place is going to be totally badass! I will help however I can!" I couldn't help but laugh, as Jake and I had been talking she had been walking around totally in awe of the place.

"So it's settled then! Mia and I will pick you up at 9?" We said as Jake locked up and we walked out to the car.

"Mia, right. I can't believe I still haven't met her yet with all the times I was out in L.A for the album. 9 sounds good. I will see you guys tonight then. It was really nice to finally meet you Sam, the way Peyton talks about you, I feel like I already know you."

"It was nice meeting you too Jake." Sam responded with what appeared to be a genuine smile. Tonight was definitely going to be interesting.

"Later Jagielski." We climbed in the Comet I had gotten out of storage early that morning and headed towards Naley's. I'd never be able to give up this car.

* * *

"So, what'd you think Sam, and be honest?"

"About Jake or about the studio?" She said with a laugh and I leaned over and pinched her arm.

"Haha, very funny. Seriously."

"Jake seems really great, and I love the studio Peyt. It's perfect… and Brooke will be really proud that you're finally doing this. You should tell her about it, you guys really should sit down and talk about things. She misses you, you know?"

"Maybe…Send her a text and let her know we are heading over to Nathan and Haley's though, so she doesn't worry."

We sat in silence for awhile as I let her words stew through my brain, she lived with Brooke so she must have some inside information as to how Brooke was feeling. _She missed me?_

"Hey Peyt?"

"Yeah?"

"That was Brooke texting me back, they are actually over at Nathan and Haley's already. So she said she would see us there."

"They?"

"Yeah, her and Lucas. Gotta love the Saturday morning breakfast tradition at the Naley household, did you forget?" Her and Lucas? Her and Lucas….? _Together?_

"Right."

* * *

We got to Nathan and Haley's a few minutes later and it was chaotic as usual, good chaotic.

"Good morning ladies!" Haley greeted from the kitchen as we walked through the front door. "I have some extra waffles left over if you girls are hungry." I looked around and noticed Jamie and Skills yelling at the TV playing tennis on the Wii and couldn't help but smile. Nathan was in the kitchen putting dishes in the dishwasher, and as I looked back to the living room I noticed Lucas and Brooke sitting on the couch watching them play the Wii, sitting close together, too close. I felt a twinge of jealously creep down my spine.

"Sounds great Hales. Think you can spare an hour or two this afternoon to go to the studio to start the duet? Mia is beyond ready to start."

"I'd love that Peyton. I'm beyond ready myself!"

"Aunt Peyton! You came over!" Jamie came bounding into the room and jumped on my lap at the kitchen table. Everyone who had been in the living room joined Sam and I at the kitchen table. I couldn't help but glare my eyes at Brooke and Lucas. Brooke, of course caught the look. Lucas, of course didn't. He always was completely oblivious to everything; it made me wonder how I ever was with him in the first place when he never truly understood me.

"Of course I came buddy! I told you yesterday I would come over and play rockband with my favorite boy in the whole world! Can I play the drums?" I caught the look from Brooke, she knew I wasn't talking to Jamie this morning.

"Yeah! I will go get it set up!" And with that he was off my lap and running back into the living room again.

"James Lucas Scott! No running in the house!" Haley called after him. I couldn't help but giggle as Sam and I plowed through our waffles.

"These are so good Aunt Hales!" Sam said and she was right.

"They really are delicious Hales, thank you! It's been a long time since I've had the Naley Saturday morning breakfast."

"Well, you know you're welcome to have it anytime." Brooke finally cut into the conversation taking a seat at the kitchen table next to Sam.

"Did you guys have fun this morning?" I knew her interest was completely pegged, especially now that she knew it wasn't Jamie I talked to this morning. The look she gave me when I said that to Jamie this morning didn't go unnoticed by me. It may've been awhile since we've been around each other, but I still knew Brooke like the back of my hand and what every facial feature meant, just like she knew mine. I looked over to Sam, giving her a pleading look. I would tell Brooke about the studio, but I wasn't ready, not yet.

"Yeah, we had a great time catching up, I've missed her." I couldn't help but smile as I reached for her hand.

"Thanks Sam, I've missed you too. Actually, now that all of you guys are in here… I've kinda got a proposition for everyone."

"You propositioning us Sawyer?"

"Oh shut up Nate! Actually, I thought it would be fun if we all went to Tric tonight to celebrate Mia's biggest deal yet… and I kind of have a big surprise that Nate and Luke you will definitely be really excited about. What do you say?"

"Big Daddy Skills be up in there!" Everyone in the room laughed, breaking the tension.

"I think what Skills means to say is that we will all be there, we are glad you're home Peyton." Lucas responded quickly and put his hand on my shoulder, I knew it wouldn't be easy to get away from him with the way things ended, but I could keep trying. I had noticed Brooke kept quiet and if I was being honest with myself, I just wanted to be around her more… even though I know I shouldn't.

"I can watch Jamie if you want to go Brooke, I think you should go it'd be fun…" Sam stepped in to say, which surprised me, she was actually surprising me more and more.

"No that's okay… I don't want to leave you alone besides… I'd just be in the way of all you guys having fun…" She said as she looked down. I knew that look. Sad. Defeated. Unwanted. Vulnerable. I knew I'd regret saying anything later…

"You won't be in the way Brooke… Everyone is going to be there. Besides, I thought you and Sam were going to try to keep living your lives?"

"You're right Peyton… Sam if you don't mind watching Jamie, maybe I do need a night out after all."

"Of course I don't mind. Besides, we both have that thing on our phones that if the alarm goes off at our house or here we are instantly notified, does that make you feel better?"

"A little…."

"Come on Aunt Peyt! It's all set up! Sam you're on guitar." Jamie said yelling as he bounded back into the kitchen and onto my lap again.

"Okay buddy! I was born ready! I am totally gonna beat you! I will be in just a minute!"

"You could never beat me, I'm a Scott!" He jumped off my lap and ran into the living room again, taking Sam with him this time, leaving everyone in the room laughing hysterically.

"What are you guys teaching that kid?" I said with a laugh, "Anyway, Mia and I are picking someone up at 9 and then will head over there to meet you guys. Sound like a plan?" Everyone nodded in agreement. I started walking into the living room when I felt my hand catch and pull me out of view down the hall, that soft, delicate hand that was always my safety.

"Hey, are you okay with me going tonight?" She was quiet when she said it, but I heard it. She was still holding my hand. I couldn't even focus on the words coming out of her mouth.

"Not if Brooke from last night is going to rear her head… no. But if the Brooke I know will be there, then I have no problem with you going. You've had a lot going on; maybe a night out away from all the drama is what you need."

"I'm really sorry again about last night. About a lot of things… there's a lot I'd like to tell you." I could see the vulnerability in her eyes. Her heart on full display as she looked deep into my eyes like no one else ever could. I don't know if it was possible for me to ever stop loving her, but I wish it were so my heart wouldn't ache so much. I couldn't keep doing this to myself. Not when she didn't feel the same… right?

"Like I said, it doesn't matter now Brooke, right? I just would like for us to be able to be civil around our friends, I'm going to be back for awhile it seems. Do you think you can do that?" I looked down and realized she was still clutching my hand, almost for dear life.

"I'd love to be friends, like before." She said with a wink, both of us remembering a much simpler time.

I whispered back, "Like before is gone." And finally released her hand and walked away towards Jamie and Sam to play rockband.

"Peyton!" She shouted back and I turned to look at her, "You might think it's gone, but we will get it back. We will get it back. I know it." I couldn't believe what I was hearing. She wanted it back? The friendship? Or the relationship? Did she still love me? Was it possible?

Tonight was going to be hard…

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The next chapter should be a good/fun one full of Breyton goodness :) Please read and review :)


	9. The Biggest Part of Me

Two updates in like a day! I've been in a writing kick the past few days... which isn't good for my work schedule because I had to stay up until I finished this chapter! I just couldn't stop writing... it was keeping me again. It's full of Breyton goodness and unveils more about the past... :) You'll like it... I hope so any way... Enjoy!

And read and review :)

* * *

We arrived at Tric a little after nine as promised, Mia and I had downed two drinks on the way over, her attempts to get me to calm down. Jake was our DD for the evening. I couldn't help but notice the chemistry between Jake and Mia, I wasn't sure why I hadn't thought of setting them up sooner, they were both musical geniuses, and Mia was almost completely past the heartbreak stage of getting over Chase, more than I could say about my current heartbreak situation.

"Alright, Jake, you ready to see everyone again?"

"I guess as ready as I'm going to be… they don't know I'm here do they?"

"They have no clue… Mia is Chase bartending tonight?"

"I'm sure he probably is, which makes this situation not only awkward for the two of you, but for me too, so let's drink up bitches! Jake, you are my designated date for the evening." She said pushing through the doors of the already busy club, the good thing about being with Mia was we never had to wait in line.

"I'd be honored Mia!" _Was Jake smitten?_

"I don't see anyone else here yet, so let's go get a shot to celebrate my awesome new studio, and your amazing new tour, and Jake's album. There's a lot to celebrate." We made our way over to the bar and sure enough Chase was bartending, gotta love small town Tree Hill.

"Wait, studio?" Mia asked.

"No one knows except Jake and Sam, but I'm going to open an art studio here." I responded.

"Dude! That's killer awesome! What's not killer awesome is this bartender… great." Mia said sarcastically.

"Tonight is about no fear, right? No fear. Get us some drinks. You're a mega famous rockstar Mia Catalano! No fear!" I yelled to her over the loud music.

"You're right!" She yelled to me with a head nod, "Hey bartender!" Chase looked over to us very surprised to see us, "Three of your top shelf Tequila shots for my date and the best boss ever here and keep 'em coming!" She said as she slammed her hand on the bar before looking back to me, "How's that for no fear, Peyt?" Jake and I couldn't help but laugh.

"And just what are you guys drinking?"

"Hey Brooke!" Mia said as she hugged Brooke, Jake was turned at the bar paying for the shots so she hadn't seen him yet.

"Tequila," I responded, "Not one of your favorites if I recall, I remember you violently puking all over my favorite skinny jeans in the Comet after a late night tequila incident." We both laughed, the tension somewhat eased and momentarily forgetting how long we'd been apart.

"Never again… Never again" She said with an upturned nose, shaking her head.

"You guys ready for these shots?" Jake said turning back around, leaving a very stunned looking Brooke who eyed me carefully.

"Remember I said I had a surprise today…. Surprise! I wanted to wait until the whole gang was here, but I guess everyone is late."

"Ohh….oh… Oh… My… God… JAKE! How long has it been?" She said pulling him into a shy hug, I couldn't tell what it was, but something was off about her, something in her eyes.

"A long time… Peyton tells me you're doing really well for yourself! And that daughter of yours is a little feisty hellcat, just like someone I remember in high school…" Jake said lovingly towards her as he held her arms.

"You….you met Sam?" She said glancing back at me as I looked at the floor. _Damnit….Jake and I should've gone over ground rules for what not to say_.

"She's amazing Brooke. You're doing a great job. How about I get you a drink?"

"How about a shot, yeah….a shot would be great right now…. Thanks Jake." Mia and I downed the tequila. This was going to be interesting.

Brooke grabbed my arm and leaned up to talk to me, "Not that I'm not happy to see him, but he met Sam, what the hell?"

"Yeah…remember I told you I wanted to show Sam something this morning, I've been working on something and Jake was there." Brooke was curious and was I melting into those chocolate eyes. I couldn't help but do a once over of her body too, she looked ridiculously hot, in a low cut red shirt, mini skirt and black pumps. What was she trying to do to me? "Peyton?"

"Oh, sorry…" She grinned as she realized she just caught me checking her out. Damnit. "I want to tell you what it is, but would you be upset if I told you I'm just not ready yet?" We stood there just lost in each other for a moment. Lost in the memories of what once was. Neither of us daring to move.

"Hey guys, sorry we are late I stayed out with them when they were parking the car. SOME of us could walk in our heels!" Haley yelled through the crowd as she giggled looking at Brooke.

"Oh whatever, I could walk, but I figured it would be better for your image for you to walk in solo with all those men on your arm Hales!" We all laughed.

"Here's your shot Brooke, something sweet and feisty, just like Brooke Davis." Jake said handing Brooke the shot as the rest of the gang looked surprised.

"Remember I said I had a big surprise, well, I delivered! Jake's back!" I said to the rest of the group.

"Jake! Good to see you man! What are you doing here?!" Lucas yelled as he engulfed him in a hug, followed by Nathan, then Skills and Hales.

"Believe it or not, I'm actually back in Tree Hill permanently. Sawyer's been helping me out a lot with some stuff and I got full custody of Jenny now."

"Dude, that's great man, so happy to have you back, you know this means battles out on the River Court like old times, right?" Nate said back to him.

"Looking forward to it man! Can't wait to meet Jamie, I've heard all about him."

"So what are you doing for work, Jake?" Brooke said intrigued by his return. I couldn't help but watch how she was looking at him.

"Well, I uhhh… I've been working on an album with Peyton actually, it's going to be out soon. She's helped me out a lot."

"Peyton, how did I not know about this? That's so awesome!" Hales exclaimed excitedly. I guess all of our work had been done in L.A. like all my other artists had been so I hadn't thought about saying anything.

"Yeah yeah… I know… Let's all get a shot!" I could feel her watching me. _Why did I still want her so badly? This was killing me. _

"BARTENDER! I said keep 'em coming!" Mia yelled and laughed as we waved hello to Chase as we got our shot.

Brooke held up the shot glass to the middle and said, "To… New beginnings" as she looked directly at me. New beginnings. We all cheers and took the shot.

* * *

"Awwww Peyt! This is our jam! Come on, we've all gotta get out on the dance floor for this! Please, please, pleaseeeeeee." Mia pleaded with me, she was already drunk, and I was well on my way. We did love this song, how could you not want to dance to 50 Cent's "In Da Club", the beat was totally infectious and I was totally buzzed. We were all out on the dance floor dancing and laughing and having fun. Mia grinding into me and Jake came up behind me with more drinks for us and continued dancing. I couldn't help but feel that twinge of jealousy as I looked over and saw everyone on the dance floor, including Brooke dancing with Lucas. Her skirt was riding up higher than it should be and I couldn't stop staring at her. _Was it because I was drunk? Hadn't been with someone in so long? Still loved her? Thought of her every second of every day? I don't know._ But I didn't like seeing her dancing with him. It didn't go unnoticed by me that she kept staring at me on the dance floor with Jake and Mia. But maybe I was reading into it.

I spun Mia around and the three of us formed a train of sorts so Jake was now behind Mia, leaving us way closer to Lucas and Brooke, when we spun back around, I came face to face with Brooke. The power of intensity in her eyes through me for a loop and almost knocked the air out of my lungs. She still took my breath away and our faces were almost touching. Mia and I were still dancing to the rhythm of the music and so were her and Lucas. But Brooke and I were so close. I was going to let her make the first move. It was her turn. She finally grabbed me by the waist and pulled me close as she started grinding against my hips, I thought I might pass out from pure ecstasy. I closed my eyes and lolled my head back working a rhythm against her. How had I managed to stay away from her for so long? Suddenly all I could see and smell and touch was Brooke Davis. My hands made their way to the exposed part of her waist and I felt like my hands were on fire at the simple touch. She leaned in closer and grinded her leg harder against me, I might pass out.

I felt her leaning closer still, so close, _was that her lips? _Her lips grazed right below my ear. _She knows that's my weakness. _My breath hitched in my throat and I tugged to her shirt tighter, as if to feel more of her to bring her closer. I'd missed her simple touch like crazy over the past two years. I finally heard her raspy voice in my ear, "The songs over, Peyt."

My eyes shot open. Mia, Jake, and Lucas were gone it was just Brooke and I left on the dance floor. It was the first time since I'd been back home that she called me a nickname. I was left stunned at what happened and left in a turned on, drunken stupor in the middle of the dance floor.

"I…. I uhhh…. I have to go… Go yeah… I need air…"

"Peyton… WAIT!" She said trying to grab my hand, but I felt like I was suffocating all of a sudden. If I didn't get out of there right now, the ceiling was going to collapse with me inside and I couldn't handle the place another minute. _What the hell just happened?_ I ran towards the back door, the one I'd used so many times before, the one I watched Jake leave Tree Hill from and leaned against the railing. _Brooke was the love of my life, the one constant, my biggest heartbreak. Would I ever be able to move on? Get over her? Let her back in? What did she want? _With that I heard the door click behind me….

"I came to L.A."

"You….you what?"

"I came to L.A. a few months after everything happened… I couldn't take it anymore, I was miserable Peyt… miserable. I wasn't sleeping. I didn't want to eat. I missed you like crazy. I looked at my phone a million times a day. So, Sam stayed at Nathan and Haley's and I came out to L.A…."

"I… I don't understand…"

"That's because when I got to your place, I saw you, and Jake, and Jenny walking down the street and you looked so happy Peyton… you looked so happy. You were both holding Jenny's hands. I couldn't bring myself to say anything to you. I just couldn't say anything… I'd rather you be happy… I flew back the next day."

"Brooke… I… I had no idea…. Why didn't you ever tell me? Or call… or something… All this time… All this time, I've been thinking that you had just moved on with your life and it wasn't even a second thought for you."

"Because, I figured you had finally gotten the perfect family you'd always wanted. I would never ruin that for you. Besides, the reason you went to L.A. in the first place was because of me." She looked down and leaned against me as we both leaned over the railing. How could Brooke think that was my perfect family? I didn't want Jake. I only ever wanted one thing. And a family with one person. How could she not know that?

"I've been helping Jake with his album Brooke. We are friends, that's all. There's nothing more to it than that." I heard her sigh, unconvinced. "I can't believe you came to L.A…." I said turning to meet her eyes. "…All this time…. And I thought you never cared…."

She leaned over and grabbed my hand as she looked deep into my eyes, "I told you before, I always cared, Peyton, I don't think I will ever stop caring. It's just not possible. You're the biggest part of me." It was true. She was the biggest part of me too, she was all I knew. Every day started and ended with her, and I never remembered a time when it didn't. She still felt it too… That gravitational pull towards each other. We hovered closely to each other for a few moments, still looking into each other's eyes. I never thought I'd be able to touch her again, smell her again, taste her again. She took the plunge and our lips touched briefly and I felt like my whole body was on fire. Only Brooke Davis could ever do this to me. Before either of us could get too lost, I was pulled from the moment from a very loud incessant beeping noise coming from her pocket.

I tried to break what was sure to be an awkward moment and laughed, "That your boyfriend calling?" I was afraid to look up, afraid that this had all been a dream and Brooke in fact wasn't there at all, but when I did, she looked as if she was about to pass out…

"Brooke, I was just kidding…."

"Peyton…. That's the alarm… that's the alarm Peyton… we have to go. We have to go right now." Brooke Davis was the whitest I've ever seen her.

I was instantly sober.


	10. Better That We Break

Thank you all SO much for all the reviews and messages from the last two chapters! It means the world to me! I hope you guys are enjoying the story, please let me know what you think! Again, disclaimer, I don't own anything but I wish I did ;)

* * *

Ten minutes.

That's how long it takes to get from Tric to Brooke and I's old house. Ten minutes.

_I never knew perfection til  
I heard you speak, and now it kills me  
Just to hear you say the simple things  
Now waking up is hard to do  
And sleeping is impossible too  
Everything is reminding me of you  
What can I do?_

We had rushed inside Tric to grab Nathan and Haley, unfortunately Lucas wanted to come along too and piled in Haley's Range Rover heading for the house. We were the core five again in this moment of panic, this family unit linked together by the fear of something terrible within our circle. Unity had brought us back together.

Ten minutes can change your whole world.

"The police are on their way there, I'm sure we will get there before they do though. How you holding up back there?" Nate said as he looked through the rearview mirror back at us, tears streaming down all of our faces as he sped through the back streets of Tree Hill.

"She's not answering her phone…" I looked over to Brooke as she had said the words quietly, almost in a whisper and clutched onto my hand for dear life. In this moment, I couldn't help but want her close to me again and clutch to her as well. "I keep calling…and she's not answering the phone…" My heart was breaking for her, and I couldn't help but hold out hope that maybe everything was going to be okay, somehow.

"Hey, look at me…" I shook her hand forcing her to look up at me. "We are almost to the house, everything is going to be okay, alright? We won't let anything happen."

"You can't promise that, Peyt." She was so broken, I grabbed her chin to look up into my eyes.

"I can sure as hell promise that I'd die before I let anything happen to Sam or Jamie, you got that?"

The only response I received was a nod as we pulled into my old neighborhood, Nathan slamming on the gas. We flew so fast into the driveway I don't even think Nathan was in park when he got out. We were all running for the front door.

"Stay behind me and Lucas, I mean it!" He called out taking the keys from Brooke approaching the front door as we could still hear the alarm blaring from inside. I was trying to mentally prepare myself for whatever would be behind that door, but I promised myself that I'd be strong for Haley and Nathan, and for Brooke. No matter what it was. She may've ripped my heart and trampled on it, but this could be unfixable. The two guys bolted through the front door after finally getting it unlocked.

"JAMIE! SAM!" He echoed through the house as we bolted behind him. It felt weirdly still and I could see Haley and Brooke breaking, they'd already been through so much, going through something like this too, I just don't think either of them could handle it.

That moment of silence felt like the longest moment of my life. Brooke's eyes caught mine, her hand still hadn't let mine go, I think just out of fear of the worst. _How many minutes had gone by? _Lucas and Nathan were still storming the house, Lucas taking the stairs two at a time.

"Dad! We're out here…" That's when I noticed it, the back door. It was open. Open. The one that led to the ocean where Brooke and I used to sit and drink wine and talk about the day. My feet stormed through to the door upon reflex not caring about any consequence about what lay ahead. I had to get to Sam and Jamie…..

"Wait…what the hell is this?" I said out of breath glancing at Sam who was fiddling with the alarm and Jamie who was…. _Petting a dog? _The others finally caught up with me at the door. Haley rushed to Jamie, kissing every inch of his face she could her lips on.

"I'm so sorry guys..." Sam said walking over and hugging me for dear life, "Ms. Brown's dog escaped again and tripped our alarm. It happens all the time, remember Peyt?"

"Uhhh… yeah… I remember."

"Well, I can't get the damn thing to turn off… we are okay guys…" She looked so apologetic.

"Why didn't you call us Sam, we've been worried sick…" Brooke said.

"My phone is completely dead, and you guys won't give little J Man a cell phone… I'm so sorry, I don't know what else to say, we are both okay. Nothing happened." Sam turned to Brooke and Brooke clutched to Sam for dear life, tears streaming down her face.

"We were all just really worried something bad happened. And none of us would've been able to deal with that." Lucas finally added.

_It's not right, not OK  
Say the words that you say  
Maybe we're better off this way?  
I'm not fine, I'm in pain  
It's harder everyday  
Maybe we're better off this way?  
It's better that we break…_

Talk about emotionally relief. Wow. But emotionally draining as well. We finally heard the sirens in the background approaching. Thank God nothing actually is wrong with as long as it's taken them to get here.

* * *

"Alright Jamie, it's way past your bed time, and you've had a very exciting night with almost giving your parents a heart attack, let's go buddy." Haley said as Nathan collected a sleepy Jamie in his arms.

"Not fair...I'm not even tired…"

"Yeah, you don't look tired at all buddy." Brooke giggled to him as she patted his back, finally starting to calm down but still a bit on edge.

"You coming with us Aunt Peyt?" Jamie said through a yawn.

"Yeah buddy, your daddy can drop me off at the hotel if that's okay, Nate?"

"No problem Sawyer." We were heading out the front door and I turned to say bye to Sam, but something was off about her eyes, she looked afraid almost.

"Can you stay here tonight…? Please?" Sam said grabbing one of my hands pulling me back into Brooke's house. My former house. My safe place.

"I don't know Sam… I don't think it's a good idea… "

"Please… I need you to stay… I'm scared…" _God….What the hell? I know how much this is taking out of Sam, like I said. She doesn't do this vulnerability thing, ever. But how could I stay? Not when things were so shaky with Brooke and I… and what the hell happened back at Tric? My head was spinning with all these thoughts._

"If Sam wants you to stay Peyton, you can… it's no problem. We can drive you back to the hotel in the morning." Brooke had finally chimed in from the kitchen and as our eyes met, I knew I would be staying tonight, if only to be close to her again. I looked over to Nate who was still standing in the doorway, the others had gone out to the car.

"Nate, I'm gonna stay here tonight to ease Sam's mind. You guys go ahead." He looked to me with a nod.

"Alright Sawyer, but you call me, any of you if any of you need me, at any time. I don't care what time it is. You guys are family. Got it?"

We all responded simultaneously, "Got it." And with that Nathan was out the door.

"So….guess I'm staying…" Brooke and I's eyes met, and for the first time tonight I couldn't read what she was thinking. I don't know if she wants me here or not, but she said it was okay for Sam… I turned to Sam who was still clutched in my arms, shaking, "You should get some sleep… it's been a long day."

"You're right. I appreciate you staying. I need you here Peyton. More than you know…"

"Hey now, it was a false alarm, alright? I told Brooke tonight. I promise I won't let anything happen to you. Or to Brooke. Or to Jamie. I promise…. I promise. If it's anything in my power, I promise okay? And I'm not going anywhere, stop worrying so much." I said to her as I shook her hands in mine and Brooke stood on watching us rooted to her spot in the kitchen.

"You can't promise that… but you being here does make me feel a little bit better, safer somehow… Doesn't it, Brooke?" I'm surprised by that notion and turn to look at her again.

"It does… It's been a long day Sam, and you scared the hell out of us. Why don't you get some sleep. Peyton will be here when you get up, alright?" Again, with the unreadable expression in her eyes, really?

She whispered out a barely audible, "Alright… Goodnight" She finally released my hand as I kissed her forehead and hugged her tight, she went over to Brooke who did the same and went to her bedroom and closed the door, my eyes glued to the door afraid to get into conversation with Brooke after our night.

"Sooo… uhhhh… guess you're staying huh?"

"I can catch a cab and be back before she wakes up, it's no problem."

"Don't be silly. Here, I'll grab you a blanket and take you up to your room."

"My room?"

"Yeah…" She said as we walked up the stairs of the familiar house to my old bedroom. Once Sam came into our lives, she took my room on the first floor so Brooke could watch over her better as she was a bit of a rebel in the beginning and I moved to the upstairs bedroom, Brooke would often sneak into my bedroom though. She opened the door and I was totally not expecting what I saw…

"Oh my god… I… Wow…." Brooke must've been following my train of thought as my eyes scanned the dimly lit room. Everything was exactly in it's place as I had left it almost two years ago. All my records still lined against the wall, the pictures, the drawings, everything. Nothing had been moved. When I left, I had left in such a hurry with the focus of mainly just getting out of there, away from her, that I only grabbed the essentials, my clothes and makeup, my favorite picture of Brooke and I, and one of me and Sam. Other than that, I had left everything.

"You didn't think I'd actually move your stuff, did you? Especially your albums, I know how possessive and weird you are about those…"

"Brooke…. I can't believe you didn't remodel this room after all this time." I was truly amazed… and on the other hand… what did it mean? I opened my mouth to continue, but I was speechless. Completely. I noticed Brooke looking at the floor.

"It was always your room, Peyton… Well, here's your blanket. Thanks for staying… you know… for Sam."

"Right… For Sam…" I could feel it again, that heat when we looked at each other. It would always be there I think. We hadn't talked about what happened earlier, and honestly, I was still so broken from the way things had been from before that I knew I couldn't do this with her, so I made a tough decision… "Goodnight, Brooke."

"Night, Peyton…" She said exiting my old room and shutting the door as I fell against it. God, what did all of this mean?

_A fool to let you slip away  
I chase you just to hear you say  
You're scared and that you think that I'm insane_

_The city looks so nice from here_  
_Pity I can't see it clearly_  
_While you're standing there, it disappears_  
_It disappears_

* * *

It was now 3:09 a.m. and I've been in bed for hours now. Tossing. Turning. Counting sheep. Everything. Nothing has worked. It's storming outside again, lord knows I love storms. I bet Brooke was up though, considering how much she hated them. It was always nights like this we would curl up under the covers in our own world. Being in this room, this house, this bed. It's all too much. I'm secretly cursing Mia for blaring all these Maroon 5 songs lately as she's getting ready for the tour which is making me lonelier as I hum the tune aloud in my head. These sheets all smell of Brooke and I just can't take it anymore so I throw the covers off me and I'm pacing the floors. Why did I agree to stay here? Why did I care about Sam so much? I quietly made my way downstairs, thinking that if I went to sit outside on the deck with the rain for a little while it might calm my fraying nerves. **Brooke Davis kissed me tonight.** And it was electric, just like it always had been. I found myself asking the same question, what did it all mean? What if this hadn't been a false alarm tonight… what if, what if, what if… I'm suddenly jolted from my thoughts, not realizing I'm twirling the necklace around my fingers again as I'm pacing the deck outside in the storm, from a voice behind me and the screen door shutting.

"Hey, I figured you were up too… You know I never did like storms. What's the song you keep singing?" I hadn't realized I was being so loud, I was just trying to get all the thoughts in my head to just stop for a minute.

_It's not right, not OK  
Say the word it should say_

_Maybe we're better off this way?_  
_I'm not fine, I'm in pain_  
_It's harder everyday_  
_Maybe we're better off this way?_  
_It's better that we break_

"It's nice that you got this screened in…" I replied avoiding her stare and her question.

"Yeah…" She said, defeated, as she sat down in one of the chairs facing the water, even with the rain, it was always a beautiful view that I missed dearly when I was in L.A. She finally continued "I couldn't really sleep… I keep thinking about tonight…"

"Yeah… Me too… What if it wasn't a false alarm, you know? I just can't even wrap my head around it…" I said as I finally sat down in the chair opposite of hers.

"I meant about everything tonight… I don't know what happened… I just I've missed you Peyton and it was just… impulse." Impulse. Reaction. Great. Brooke Davis, not thinking once again. Using her head, not her heart.

_Saw you sitting all alone  
You're fragile and you're cold, but that's all right  
Life these days is getting rough  
They've knocked you down and beat you up  
But it's just a rollercoaster anyway, yeah_

"Impulse… great." I scoffed at her. "You know what Brooke you're right, it was a mistake. So try not to make them anymore and play with my heart any more than you already have. You've already shattered it. Why lead me to believe you actually still had feelings?" I yelled back at her harshly standing up from the chair and running my hands through my hair. Who the hell did she think she was?

"Whoa Peyt… hold on a minute, I didn't say..."

"No Brooke, you didn't need to say anything. I know you, or have you forgotten?"

"Would you knock it off Peyton!" She said as she got closer to me, so close we were exchanging breath, as we stood in a verbal standoff. "I said no such thing, stop putting words in my mouth, for God's sake Peyton! I felt more alive tonight, with you, than I have since the day you left, and I know you felt it too, so stop pushing me away. Stop pushing me. I will always feel it. It will always be there…"

We stood for a minute, close together just staring at each other, neither daring to make the next move, nor to say anything.

_It's not right, not OK  
Say the words that you say  
Maybe we're better off this way?  
I'm not fine, I'm in pain  
It's harder everyday  
Maybe we're better off this way?_

"How could I not push you away Brooke, seriously? What do you expect? You… Broke…. Me." The tears welling in my eyes and I could see them brimming in her eyes as well. "Every day… it just gets harder and harder without you… Every day it's just pain in my heart. I hate being so disconnected…"

She grabbed my hand, and tugged a piece of hair behind my ears as the tears were falling freely from her eyes now, "Trust me, I get it. I do. I live the same hell everyday…"

Again, we stood there staring at each other as the tears were streaming down her face. It was strangely beautiful to see. It showed that she truly did care. In one swift motion, I saw the lust in her eyes and felt my back connect with the side of the house as she pushed me against it feverishly. "I need you, Peyt… I always do." Her lips were connecting with my neck, kissing any part of skin she could reach. I was reminded of what heaven was, and was again asking myself of how I had stayed away from this beautiful woman that I loved so much for so long… but then my head caught up with my heart.

"Stop, Brooke, stop." I said gently tugging her away from me, trying to shake off my arousal. "You can't just do that to me and expect everything to be better. It's not. I'm done with this….Seriously." I knew I had to walk away, I never would if I didn't right now. "Goodnight, Brooke."

"Peyton… We really need to talk about what happened before you left… We need to talk about it. Please…" She kept bringing this up, what did she want to talk about? Her eyes were pleading with me as she desperately grabbed ahold of my hips and clutched my shirt in her hands. She looked lost almost.

"As soon as Sam wakes up tomorrow, please take me back to the hotel…" I struggled out of her grasp and made my way back to my old room, tears streaming down my face as I'd left Brooke standing alone on the porch.

I laid in bed, no more tears capable of falling, and hummed the same line of the song to myself until the finally fell into a light sleep, "Maybe we're better off this way?"

_I'm not fine, not OK  
Say the words that you say  
Maybe we're better off this way?_

_I'm not fine, I'm in pain_  
_It's harder everyday_  
_Maybe we're better off this way?_  
_It's better that we break, baby_

* * *

Read and review, pretty pretty please :) Oh- The song is by Maroon 5, "Better That We Break" obviously, it's a pretty good if you haven't heard it and it seemed pretty fitting to the chapter...


	11. Heart In Chains

Thank you for all the reviews on the last chapter, I know it's angsty, but I'm really trying to make the story seem realistic. This chapter is a little shorter, but only because I needed it to end where it does... Next chapter you will get the full back story of Brooke's side, promise :) I really hope you read and review, reviews are like Christmas presents for writers :) Enjoy!

* * *

_It's been a week since I've heard your voice now  
You know it seems like a hundred years  
It's hard to sleep, it's a bit alarming  
I'm a mess when you're not here  
And it's a simple curse  
I'm not the first oh but it's a vicious hurt  
And it just gets worse_

"Wait… You what?! I've listened to you bitch and moan every single day about Brooke for almost the last two years… now she's practically throwing herself at you and you walk away? What the hell Peyton?" Mia shouted at me from across the studio.

"I'm gonna have to agree with Mia on this one… I know she hurt you Peyton, but I really think you should just give her a chance to talk about it whatever it is she wants to talk about. She's brought it up like three times now. It must be important." Jake said back, agreeing with Mia strumming along on the guitar, my aggravation with the two of them growing intensely. Instead, I focused my attention on Jenny, who could care less about our conversation as she was in her own world playing with her dolls on the floor. She was so beyond adorable, definitely got that from her father thank God not her horrible bitch of a mother. Couldn't they have just LISTENED to my dilemma instead of throwing their two cents in like normal?

"Come on, who's side are you guys on any way! What the hell! And you-!" I said as I pointed at Mia, "I am not even THAT bad!" I said annoyed pacing back and forth as Mia rolled her eyes. I hadn't slept last night after my talk with Brooke and despite the progress we had been making, the car ride back to the hotel this morning was awkward and silent, other than both of us making conversation with Sam as though our lives depended on it. It was pretty pathetic actually.

"We are on your side Peyt… obviously. But we both know Brooke, too. Maybe you should just hear her out. It might not change anything, but it could give you that closure you've been looking for so you can finally move on." Mia added.

"She kissed me… Last night, at Tric, and then at the house…" I blurted out.

"Well, well Sawyer you seemed to have forgotten to mention that part… how convenient." Jake said with a grin, "So maybe closure isn't what's on your mind?"

"I don't know guys…. It was just so…. I don't know…. I don't even know what I'm doing, I'm a mess…." I added not being able to find the right words I wanted to describe it to them.

"Electric?" Mia eyed me carefully as she walked over to me and looked me in the eyes studying my every expression.

"How did you know that?"

"Peyton, you guys may've been apart for a long time. And I'm no Haley James Scott when it comes to being smart, but that girl loves you. And I know you love her. And before all of this happened, you guys were best friends. You need to hash out whatever happened almost two years ago and either move past it or don't move past it because you've got to stop hiding." Mia said moving away from me to pick up another guitar. Defensive Peyton was about to come out.

"I'm not hiding!"

"Sawyer…I've known you a long time buddy. You're hiding. You've completely immersed yourself in work, Red Bedroom took off into a huge multimillion dollar corporation that you are practically the headliner for… You've got to come out of this shell you are hiding in and the only way you're going to be able to do that is to talk to Brooke about what happened, as much as it may hurt." Jake cautiously added, knowing how I could be when I got my defenses up.

"Fine, whatever, maybe you guys are right…" I softened a little.

"We are just trying to look out for you Peyton… We only want what's best, and this could be a step in the right direction…"

"Alright, whatever. If I run into Brooke and she brings it up again, maybe we will talk about it, deal?" They both sighed and nodded, knowing that this would be the best they were going to get from me. "Good, now. Onto much more important things, the show next week. It's an important one…." Important was putting it lightly. I'd been doing this show annually at Tric for Ellie ever since she died for Breast Cancer Awareness, every year it was a HUGE turnout. Last year, Haley did the event in my place seeing as how I'd refuse to come back to Tree Hill. But this year, I was back and we'd been working out the details on this for several months, just like we always did. We had lots of bands lined up, including Mia, Jake, and Haley. It was going to be a great night. "Now, I talked to my people this morning and it looks like Maroon 5 will be able to come, so we need to make sure everything is perfect since they are headlining. We've also got to get you guys set up with your set lists, and Mia – I think it'd be a good opportunity for you and Hales to perform the duet, what do you think?"

"This all sounds awesome, Peyton, it's going to be a great night."

"Perfect. You good with this plan Jakey?"

"Sounds perfect! Maroon 5! I'm going to be so star struck!"

"You'll get used to it soon, once you become a big famous rockstar and all" I said to him with a wink. "Alright, Mia let's work on "Heart in Chains", I think that'd be a good time to announce that as your new single, but we need to finish the album version with that last verse."

Jake had joined me in the studio as we were listening to the playback and making adjustments, Jenny was still content as ever. "I think we need to get rid of the drums on that and just go acoustic guitar on that part, let's do it again Mia." Jake added, him and I made a great team in the studio sharing much of the same ideas and bouncing them off each other to see what worked and what didn't. Mia sang it again from the top, I couldn't help but hone in on all the words she sang.

_Oh because you know me well  
Like a child knows a mother's face  
Oh and I don't have to tell you, you've got my heart  
You've got my heart in chains  
Tears on my pillowcase yeah yeah  
I don't want it any other way_

Your attention is my addiction  
A roller-coaster of highs and lows  
I need your venom, it's been in my system  
Since the second we said hello  
You love me deep but I'm incomplete  
Baby every time you leave I get so weak

"Peyton….what'd you think?" Mia said through the headphones breaking me from the lyrics.

"Let's do it one more time at least and then we are going to have to edit the drums if you want to listen to Jake's idea, what do you think?" Mia nodded and started again making me go deeper into thought. _You know me so well. You love me deep but I'm incomplete baby every time you leave I get so weak._ I had my head down and eyes shut completely listening to Mia, this was something I always did in the studio, it helped me to listen to every detail of every lyric to make sure everything was perfect. I felt Jake nudging my shoulder but kept brushing him off, he knew not to bug me when I was in my work mode. But then Mia stopped singing… my eyes shot up to figure out what could've possibly made me stop. We needed to get this right.

"Mia—What the hell? Why'd you stop we've got to get this right, we've got a deadline!" I said to her harshly, maybe a little too harshly, without Mia for the past two years I would've drowned, she's one of my closest friends and without Brooke she's been my lifeline in helping me try to get by and figure things out, but when it came to work, I was all about getting the job done and Mia knew that.

"Uhhh… I think someone is here to see you?" She said pointing behind me, I turned to look at Jake who was also looking behind me.

"Brooke?!" I said surprised.

"We need to talk. And I'm not leaving here Peyton until we talk." She said sternly with her arms across her chest. She wasn't going anywhere without a fight, I could see that Brooke Davis fight in her eyes.

_Don't leave me helpless  
Don't leave me lost  
Don't leave me waiting  
You're all I've got  
Don't leave me helpless  
Don't leave me lost  
Don't leave me waiting  
You're all I've got_

Oh because you know me well  
Like a child knows a mother's face  
Oh and I don't have to tell you, you've got my heart  
You've got my heart in chains  
Tears on my pillowcase, yeah yeah  
I don't want it any other way  
You know me well  
I don't want it any other way  
You know me well  
I don't want it any other way

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Read and review :)


	12. Maybe, Someday

A big thank you to all my followers and reviewers on the last chapter! Thank you for sticking with this story. This chapter goes out to my Peyton buddy Peyton's Comet - I hope you enjoy this chapter and I've loved talking with you about our favorite blondie! I hope you guys find it believable and get some answers about what happened in the past :) Enjoy - and as always please read and review :)

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She repeated it again arms still folded across her chest, "I'm serious Peyton, I'm not leaving until you talk to me." The stubbornness never leaving her eyes, she was always good for that.

"Well, now obviously isn't a good time Brooke. It costs us a lot of money to be in here and I'm not about wasting anyone's time." I broke my gaze with Brooke, who appeared to be rooted to the floor and looked back to Mia. "Mia, start that last part again from before we got interrupted."

"I'm not leaving here, Peyton. So I will wait here until you're done." Brooke interrupted again.

"Whatever Brooke. Mia, start it again…" _I can't believe she had the nerve to show up here. Who does she think she is anyway? _

"_You've got my heart in chains, Tears on my pillowcase, yeah yeah, I don't want it any other way_…. You know what Peyton, I can't do this today…" Mia suddenly stopped singing again and said back. I turned the talk back button on before looking at Jake with a disappointing look on my face.

"Mia, we've got to get this done before the show Friday… it's important and we are using the studio time now."

"Yeah well, I can't do any of my amazing singing skills with you looking so tense and Brooke back there boring holes through your head. Jake, let's take Jenny to the park, we are done for the day."

"What the hell, I'm your boss Mia if you haven't forgotten." I said back at her in disbelief.

"And I'm the singer, and if the singer ain't happy, ain't nobody happy." Mia said back smiling and leaving the room to join us on the other side of the studio wall.

"You can't seriously be leaving me here Jagielski?" I said quietly grabbing his arm as I glanced back at Brooke quickly, I was internally panicking and not ready to have this conversation, she was nervously looking down and tracing patterns on the floor with her heel.

"Sorry Sawyer, you're on your own on this one." Just then, Mia came bounding through the room.

"Alright Jake, let's go, it's a beautiful day outside, we shouldn't waste it in here anyway. Oh hey Brooke – so nice of you to drop by, Jake and I were just heading out so you two can do whatever you need, don't mind us." I glared my eyes to her as Jake gathered Jenny and started heading towards the door.

"Later Sawyer!" She turned around with a smile and a wink.

"Whatever Catalano! You owe me studio time!" I yelled as they walked out the door and I was left alone with Brooke.

* * *

"Well, I hope you're happy. That just cost me several THOUSAND dollars since you decided that NOW of all times was a great time for us to have a chat. Please by all means, have a seat." I yelled to her, furious that she picked now of all times to talk.

"Sorry, I know the timing isn't all that… thought out…"

"Thought out? Brooke, what the hell? You've had almost two years to come track me down. Now you interrupt me in the middle of me working. You are insufferable!" I said yelling at her, the built up frustration at her sudden appearance and decided to throw the stack of Rolling Stone magazines at her head. She ducked to avoid getting hit in the face. _Smooth Peyton. Smooth._

"Um… okay, wow. I wasn't expecting you to go throwing things at me, especially before I even had the chance to talk to you. I'm sorry I interrupted you working, I know how much your work means to you and I should have been more sensitive to that." She said as she carefully took a step closer to me, I could tell she was being sincere and that this conversation would be hard for her. "But, they are gone now, and I'm sorry about that, but hopefully we can talk now. I just had to talk to you, Peyton. I've avoided this for way too long and you need to know the truth. The whole truth about everything that happened."

"Well it looks like you're just going to lock me up until I hear what you have to say. So just go for it, Brooke. It's not like it's going to change anything that happened." I angrily retorted back and slumped back in the chair I had been sitting in before in front of studio equipment crossing my arms over my chest in annoyance with her.

"Peyton…" She said edging closer and finally sitting in the chair next to me where Jake had been sitting and she leaned over and took my hand in hers as she looked into my eyes and said, "Do you remember that night I came home and told you I couldn't do it anymore?"

"Why are you doing this to me Brooke, are you physically trying to kill me?" I broke my contact with her and looked down suddenly feeling trapped. _Did I remember? What the hell. Of course I remembered. _

"So you remember that I had been gone, on a trip to New York, again for the third time that month with my mother, right?"

* * *

_**Flashback**_

_4:17 a.m. Where was she? She was supposed to be home from her meetings in New York over 4 hours ago, but instead, I'm sitting here, looking at our front door. Alone. We had only briefly seen each other over the past few months with my recording schedule and going on tour with some of the artists and she'd been in New York like crazy. It was Summer vacation for Sam though and that meant she could often go with me, wherever I was traveling to. _

_I had been calling her all night to make sure she was okay, but no response. I'd been up all night just staring at that door, hoping she'd come through it at any minute. Even though we'd spent so much time apart, I knew the only thing I'd ever want in my life was Brooke Davis and I planned on telling her this tonight, if she ever got home. I planned to make her mine forever._

_Just as I was thinking over everything again, and wondering the worst about what could've possibly happened, the door opened. _

_"Jesus Brooke, I've been worried sick baby where have you been? I've been calling you for hours." I said rushing to the door and pressing my lips to her temple as she threw her suitcases down by the door. _

_"I had to go over some changes to the line with Vic-whoria… Peyt, this uhhh… this looks amazing. You didn't need to do all this." She said looking around the place, I had roses and lilies and candles lit everywhere, though most of the candles were almost out due to the fact that I had expected her ages ago. It was a special night and I wanted to show her, that she still meant everything to me even though we hadn't seen other much. _

_"Yeah, well I love you and we finally have a night together and I wanted to enjoy that…"_

_"Look Peyt, I know it's late, but we need to talk…." Those words were never a good thing, she'd been acting weird since the moment she walked in the door. _

_"Um, okay, but you just got back, can't we just enjoy being together? We never get time to ourselves. Sam stayed at Nathan and Haley's tonight and I just want to celebrate you being back and us being together… is that okay?" She still wasn't moving from the door…._

_"I just can't do this anymore Peyton…." She blurted out._

_"You…. You what?! I don't think I heard you correctly? What are you saying Brooke…? Don't do this, you can't do this…." She couldn't possibly be doing this, not after everything we had been through together. There was no way…_

_"I don't want to do this, but you have a relationship with my cell phone, mainly my voicemail. We see each other once every few months… things aren't what they used to be. This isn't fair to you Peyton, and it's not fair to me. I've had a lot of time to think about this while I was gone and I just think that this is for the best you know?" She didn't even have the courage to look me in the eyes when she said it, which told me everything I needed to know. My anger was rising. _

_"This is about Victoria isn't it? You're afraid. I can't believe this Brooke! After fucking everything we've been through together and you're just going to throw that away! I deserve some kind of explanation."_

_"I'm sorry Peyton….I'm sorry…." She started crying. I fell to the floor, not only had I lost my oldest, best friend. I lost the love of my life, all in the span of a few words._

_"You aren't even going to try to fight for me, Brooke, why…How can you let it end like this? After everything? All I ever wanted was you." She leaned forward, trying to take my hand, but before she could speak, all I felt was rage at her even trying to touch me._

_"Don't fucking touch me Brooke! Don't touch me! I was never afraid of us, you were always afraid…and now, you're leaving me completely with no explanation, just a sorry? I should mean more to you than this Brooke!" I shouted as I was standing in front of her now unable to fight the tears falling from my face. _

_"You do mean more to me than this Peyton… I'm doing this to protect you! You have to believe me!" She yelled to my retreating form as I marched up the stairs as she tried to grab my arm one last time. I slammed the door to my bedroom shut, falling to the floor as the endless stream of tears kept pouring out. _

_Tonight was supposed to be special. I pulled the box out of my jean pocket and stared at it for what felt like forever. Forever. That word certainly meant nothing now. I'd spent hours picking out the perfect ring, but in the end, it meant nothing, just like I did. _

_I made the phone call to L.A. right then and told them I was going to take them up on their offer to merge Red Bedroom and Sire Records, making me VP of the massive corporation and keeping the name Red Bedroom. I wasn't going to accept if they wanted me to go to L.A., since my life was in Tree Hill with Brooke, but now, I couldn't get out of here soon enough. There was nothing left for me here. Brooke was all I had ever wanted. _

_I booked my flight and began furiously packing my suitcases, praying that she'd change her mind and make me stay. Make me understand somehow. Her words kept replaying in my head, protect me from what? But she never came up to my room, instead all I could hear was her sniffling in the living room below. I cried myself into a light sleep; still looking at the ring in my hands, wondering where it all had went wrong. _

_I awoke an hour later to my alarm blaring; it was time to head to the airport. I was early, but I wanted to head to Nathan and Haley's to say bye to Sam before I left, I knew she wouldn't take it well, her track record with people leaving was just as good as mine. I quickly gathered my suitcase and headed downstairs, tucking the ring back in my pocket again._

_I saw Brooke asleep on the couch curled in a ball, it was very obvious she'd cried herself into the light sleep she found herself in now. I dropped my suitcases by the door and made my way over to her sleeping form. As much fighting as we'd done over the years, and as much arguing as we'd been doing the past few months, we always loved each other even harder, I always knew in my heart that it was always Brooke for me, we'd been through too much for it to just…. End like this. Without words, without a fight…. Without… Something. _

_I reached over and brushed a soft brunette lock out of her eyes and kissed her forehead as I whispered, "Maybe someday, Brooke. Someday." Her nose crinkled in that cute way I always adored and before I let myself get too carried away in the emotions of leaving her, I stood and walked out the door._

_She would find out later this morning from Sam that I was gone. _

_**End Flashback** _

* * *

I instinctively reached to feel for my necklace, it always served as a form of comfort when I was feeling uneasy and tried to shake the memories of that night. I responded to her biting my lip to wane off theses emotions felt at revisiting that night, "Yeah… of course I remember that night… What's your point with all this Brooke?" I looked to her confused.

"Well," she said trying to catch her breath, "I'm just going to come out and say it. There's no other way to say it. Remember I told you I was trying to protect you? I was Peyton, I always was. And I always will, no matter what you might think."

"Get to the point Brooke…"

"The point is, my bitch of a mother found out about us on that trip. She knew, I don't know how she knew but she did and she told me that if I continued my relationship with you she'd end your career, she actually drew up paperwork and showed me how she would be able to terminate the careers of all of your acts since I was the one that helped you to start the label in the first place and since she's part owner of Clothes Over Bro's…And after that she was going to take Clothes Over Bro's into her own hands as well, she had this very thought out…" She trailed off, I could gather the rest, Victoria Davis was no doubt a bitch, but she was a smart business woman who knew how to play the game, and she knew how to play it well when she needed to.

"You're fucking kidding? Is this some kind of sick joke?" I laughed back at her jumping up from the chair and pacing the room.

"No… she bombarded me with it in New York, that's why I was so late getting home that night. So she told me, I had to choose… If I stayed with you, she'd ruin you. Ruin Peyton. You didn't see what she had drawn up. But if I broke off our relationship, she promised me she'd leave you alone, no matter what. I did it to protect you; Us; it was always about you… I never wanted you to get hurt, but instead it killed me in the process and I lost the only person I ever truly loved." She confessed.

"Do you hear yourself right now Brooke? You chose your mother, over me… AGAIN! This wasn't about protecting me. Why didn't you tell me this before Brooke? We could've found a way! We could've made this work. All I ever wanted was you!" I shouted back to her.

"Not from this we couldn't Peyton! I was just trying to protect you, I swear Peyton. You, of all people, know my mother… you know how serious this is Peyton! You have to believe me! You meant everything; I wouldn't have done it if I had another option!" She shouted back.

"You had another option Brooke! You just took the easy way out. As usual!"

"What is that supposed to mean?" She said crossing her arms and kinking her eyebrow at me.

"You know damn well what it means Davis! Just when things get a little difficult you find any excuse to go running. SO TYPICAL! This is Un-Fucking-Believable!" I shouted back at her, refusing to let the tears on the brims of my eyes pour over, I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

She appeared to have calmed, if only a little and pinched the bridge of her nose before she spoke again, "Peyton, I wasn't the one who left in the middle of the night on a plane to L.A. with no intention of returning again… I don't blame you for it, at all, but don't sit here and yell at me about running okay?" We both took a deep breath and exhaled trying to collect our thoughts.

"So, if I had stayed then, what would have happened? Would you have told me the truth Brooke?" I asked quietly for the first time not yelling and looking into her eyes.

"Yes, I hated what I did that night. I hated that I told my mother I'd do it to protect you. And I hate that we are here now like we are, barely able to be in a room together because of it. You know I can't lie to you Peyton… I tried that one time when we were 10 about stealing that shirt from the mall and you immediately caught me on it and told me to never do it again…. You even made me take it back the next day and apologize for it. That's how our Tuesday mall tradition started… Remember? But anyway, that's why I came out to L.A. Peyton to tell you. But, I chickened out because you seemed so happy. I shouldn't have hid our relationship. And I shouldn't have ended things like I did. And I shouldn't have lied to you about why… I was just trying to protect you, just like we always have…. I would have never forgiven myself if _MY mother_ was the reason ALL your artists went under and you went under. It would have destroyed me… but being without you destroyed me more…"

"I… Uhmmm… I don't know what to say…" I was so surprised by what Brooke had just told me, but I was angry with her as well… so angry. So much time had passed, and she just let me go…. She approached me carefully and grabbed my hands in hers as she wiped the tears from my eyes that I was no longer able to keep from spilling over.

"Tell me what's going through that head of yours Goldilocks?" She said with a half grin on her face.

"You shouldn't have lied to me. We could've figured something out about your mom Brooke. You should've talked to me about it…. Instead of…. Instead of just breaking up with me for no reason. You gave me no reason! We talked about everything, you were my _BEST _friend before anything else…" I said back to her, unsure of these mixed emotions going through my mind, and it was really hard to concentrate on anything with her this close to me, but I was so angry…. So hurt. A part of me will always wonder in the back of my mind if she'd do it again.

I continued, "I guess I'm just…so hurt by it all, I don't know how you could do this to me… and how you could have left it this way… all this time… what if I hadn't come back? Would you have ever told me Brooke?" She leaned even closer to me and squeezed my hands tighter.

"Yes, Peyton. I told you. I just got upset by what I saw in L.A. thinking that you had moved on… But I would've come back and told you. I couldn't have let that be the end for us, you're far too important to me." This was pegging my interest.

"Why would it have mattered if I moved on or not, Brooke?" I said curiously still looking her in the eyes, she was fidgeting with our fingers and our faces were close together, despite my anger, I knew I should be running for the hills away from the woman but something was keeping me rooted to my spot.

"Because…P. Sawyer…. It just does…"

"Because why?! You owe me that."

"Because I still love you. Okay? And I haven't moved on. Not with anyone." She said loudly and my head jolted back in surprise, our faces still surprisingly close together. "Say something blondie…" Before I could muster up the nerve to say anything back to her, we were interrupted by a voice coming into the studio.

"Peyton! Where is everyone?! I'm sorry I'm running a few minutes late, I know how you are about cracking the whip! But I am here and I am ready to start!" Haley said excitedly entering the room throwing her purse down on the table. Brooke and I quickly separated from each other, but not soon enough.

"Oh, I'm sorry, was I interrupting something? We said 3:00 I thought?" Haley slightly chuckled amused by the situation.

"Yeah, we uhhh… we did. You're right." I replied.

"Well, where's Mia? Thought you guys were finishing Heart In Chains today?" Haley said looking around the studio.

"They took Jenny to the park, Brooke showed up here, so they left…" I shyly responded, Brooke looked like she wanted to crawl out of her skin in discomfort, which was unusual for Brooke Davis.

"Look Peyton… I'll go, I shouldn't have interrupted you at work any way…" Brooke responded looking up at me with a forced smile.

"Haley, go start warming up and we will get started in just a minute; I'll call Mia too and tell her to get her scrawny ass back here so we can work on the duet more too." She nodded and headed into the other side of the studio, leaving Brooke and I alone once again.

"Well, I should get going so you can get back to work. I'm sorry for interrupting you… I just had to get all that off my chest."

"Yeah… I'm glad you told me Brooke… but it just… it hurts you know. It hurts like you can't imagine. I just… I need some time. You know to process all this… it's just fresh right now, and it just… hurts. It's bringing up all these horrible memories for me and I just… need to process I think."

"Understood, I'm not going anywhere. I'm here. And I meant what I said." She turned and kissed me on the cheek and just like that she was out the door again. _What was Brooke Davis doing to me?_ I touched my cheek and whispered to myself _"Maybe, someday." _

"You gonna tell me what all that was about?" Haley inquired with a raised eyebrow.

I hit the talk back button, "Just start singing, would you?"

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Please read and review, I was nervous about this chapter! :)


	13. Shooting Zero

How's everyone doing? Still hanging in there with me? Last chapter I was getting really frustrated by the lack of reviews, but decided to continue this story due to a few encouraging PMs I received. Thank you so much for the support. I hope those of who are still reading, enjoy :) I also started another story called "Wonderwall" about highschool Breyton if you are interested check that out as well.

Thank you so much for the love and support on this story - it inspires me to keep writing. This chapter is just a giant build up for something REALLY REALLY big in the next chapter that you won't be disappointed by, in fact it's the basis of what I planned this whole story on. I've already started writing it, so I should have it up soon hopefully.

If you like this story - please read and review and let me know if you'd like me to keep going with it :) Anyway... off to this chapter...

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It had been a hectic week trying to get everything ready for the big show which was only a few hours away now. In ways it had flown by, but in other ways, it had dragged out to no end… We had finished recording the duet and a few of Mia's songs.

I knew that I couldn't keep dodging her, and I had told her to come tonight with Sam… so chances are more than likely she'd show up. But I was still processing everything she had told me in the studio just four days earlier. And so many questions ran rampant through my mind like an endless stream of consciousness… why hadn't she told me sooner? What would have happened if Victoria ended my company? Brooke's company? But it all kept coming back to the same question… would it have changed the outcome? Probably not. I knew in my mind I should just try to move past this and forgive her, but the wound was still so fresh and I hated her for it. Yet, I still loved her.

So, I was doing what I did best. Ignoring her. Ignoring her calls. Her texts. Her many attempts to come over and talk. Ignoring all of it.

"Peyton, where do you want these?" Mouth said carrying two boxes into Tric.

"Can you put them up on the stage, please? I think that's the last of the equipment we need to set up. Thank you for your help by the way buddy!" I said walking over to him taking one of the boxes and going through the wires to set up the last microphone.

"I'm used to the manual labor, if you recall I was basically Brooke's bitch in high school," I laughed, the boy would've done anything for Brooke Davis, granted, there were a lot of people on that list, "You know that I'm happy to help, anytime, but why me? I mean… no offense… but you normally have Mia, or Haley… Or Jake…Or Sam…. Or Brooke… Or Lucas… Or Nate…" He said and I couldn't blame the guy, he was kind of right, but was it wrong that I was avoiding everyone?

"Mouth… is it so bad I want to hang out with you? Besides, you're the deejay tonight; you had to get the equipment set up!" I retorted back placing an album against his chest to go start playing.

"Peyton… While I appreciate the grand gesture, you're lying!"

"Look, Haley, Mia, and Jake are all playing tonight so they've been getting ready and rehearsing. Nate is watching Jamie, and I can't stand being around Lucas… so that about sums it up Mouth, you're all I got to help bud. Sam should be here soon though, she sent me a text, she's actually going to stay for the show and watch Jamie during it too so he can see his mama be a rockstar." I knew I had deliberately left Brooke off the list… but what was there to say?

"Peyton… What about Brooke?"

"What about her?"

"Look, you may've been gone… but I was still here… you should really give her a chance to make things right, she might surprise you." He said wondering over to the deejay table setting up the remainder of what needed to be done.

"Wait a minute… did you know?" I said raising my eyebrow to him.

"Oh come on… you guys weren't as secretive as you thought you were. I thought you were in high school, we all did… well except Lucas…" He said with a laugh as I shook my head in disgust as we both walked over to sit on the edge of the stage.

"Wait…so do you know what happened then? Like…. Why… we ummm… like why?" I said questioning, wondering if Mouth knew why we had split and Brooke had left me broken and if she'd ever confided in someone, the way I'd confided in Jake. They'd always been close, but I couldn't tell for sure… Mouth would be a good option because he was far enough away to be considered an objective viewpoint, just like Jake was. Haley was too close to the source.

"Alright listen Peyton… We never had this talk, got it?" I nodded my head, "About a week after you left, she came to my house in the middle of the night pounding on the door. She was so upset Peyton… I couldn't get her to calm down and tell me what was wrong for nearly two hours." My heart ached at the thought of her like that. "Once she did, she told me you had left, and that she hadn't left the house since you had, that Sam wouldn't speak to her, that she destroyed everything and that she lost the only person she ever loved." I was taken aback by that… I hadn't realized Brooke was as broken as I was.

"She….She said that…To you?" I said tears glistening in my eyes as he relived that night again.

"She did, and then she told me what had happened… you know with her mom… and that she wanted to protect you and she didn't know another way."

"What did you tell her?" I asked curious of his answer.

"You know Millie and I were going through some things at the time this all happened, she had gotten into drugs, but there wasn't a day I never loved Millie, we fought like hell to get back what we had and it took time, but we got there. But I told her, she should've been honest with you, just like I wished Millie had been honest with me, she should've told you the truth. I knew how much you cared for her with her attack and all, you never left her side, you guys have always been there for each other, she should've been honest and she knew that too. That's why she was hurting so much I think…" Mouth said with a slight smile. I hadn't realized how similar our situations had been until he explained things from his perspective.

"You know, I've never told anyone this, but I was going to propose that night." I said slightly shocked the words had even left my mouth…

"Oh my god…" He replied just as shocked as I was that I'd even said the words.

"Oh my god what? What are you guys doing sitting around on your asses?! You have T Minus 2 hours until they are tearing the doors down trying to get in this place! You guys better get your asses in gear!" Sam cut in, effectively cutting off our conversation.

"Wow… She really has been living with Brooke…." I looked at Mouth and laughed jumping up from the stage and walking over to her. "So where is your counterpart anyway, figured she'd be with you…" I said to her with a smile, not sure that I was ready to be face-to-face with Brooke again after avoiding her most of the week.

"Oh, she is… she's on the phone though with Bitchtoria about Clothes Over Bro's and the proble…"

"Samantha!" Brooke shouted entering Tric, in which Sam immediately looked like she'd been caught saying something she shouldn't have been.

"You're right… not important, what's important is getting the rest of tonight set up, are you all set?" Sam said turning her attention back to me.

"Just about, Mouth's been helping me with the last of the details. I need to go see that Mia, Jake, and Haley are all warmed up. The rest of the bands should be here soon. Actually, we need to test the mics we just set up can you hop up on stage and talk into it and Mouth and I will check?" I said back to her.

"Sure thing Peyt!" I giggled at her enthusiasm as she jumped on stage at merely checking the sound, she was so excited for tonight.

"You know… I haven't seen Sam this excited about anything since you left, it's all she's yammered on about for days…." Brooke approached hesitantly to my backside .

"Yeah." I replied… not able to form any other words.

"So… I take it you are still avoiding me?" Brooke approached a little closer as I kept my eyes on Sam who was talking into the mic to Mouth and they were talking about the sound.

"Look Brooke, I'm a little busy tonight… I've got a lot going on and a lot of bands here, so I don't need to deal with you too. So, why don't you do what you've been doing for the past two years and act like I don't exist?" I said walking away from her. Was it harsh, yes. But maybe I wanted her to feel a little bit of the pain I had been over our time apart.

* * *

The next two hours actually blazed by and by the time I peeked to look out in the crowd the place was absolutely packed. All of us had gathered backstage, Brooke and I still doing our best to avoid each other, but catching glances at each other occasionally. Jake was about to hit the stage and I was about to go out and introduce tonight. As we were both looking out at the stage, I felt someone lightly tap my arm, mostly expecting it to be Brooke, I turned around immediately annoyed, though, I secretly liked her attempts to try to make things right.

"Sorry to bug you… Is it okay if we leave our stuff here, the band just got here and we wanted to make sure?" **_Holy shit! _**

"You're… You're Adam Levine!" Jake said turning around, he was saying what I was having trouble forming the words to say. He reached out his hand to shake.

"You must be Jake, Mia's told me all about you, can't wait to hear your stuff tonight man!" He replied back.

"Yeah…. Uhhh…. Yeah… You know Your 'Songs About Jane' album totally inspired me to start playing I mean I just…" Oh god… I had to interrupt before this got ugly, I forgot how star struck Jake got with people and the rest of the Tree Hill group was the same way. Mia and I were used to this in L.A. but this wasn't the average occurrence in Tree Hill…

"Jake… Stop. Adam, Let's walk over here and your band can put your stuff down here, I think everyone is standing back here anyway and you can see Mia again! Thanks again for agreeing to play tonight; I know this isn't your normal sized crowd."

"Sounds great, Peyton! It's for an awesome cause. We were happy to do it, and since the tour with Mia is about to kick off, it'll be even better." He said as we walked away from looking at the ever populating crowd forming at Tric to the backstage area where everyone was hanging out, I couldn't help but smile at seeing how happy Sam looked. As we approached the group, Jake still bug eyed, I tried to collect my ever growing nerves.

"Hey guys! This is…"

"Holy FUCK! ADAM LEVINE! My God… You are FINE!" _Was she trying to make me jealous? _

"Aunt Brooke, you have to put $20.00 in the swear jar for that." Jamie replied up to Brooke making everyone laugh.

"You're right buddy, I do. Totally worth it though. We were all thinking it." She said with a wink to me.

"I wasn't" Lucas interrupted eyeing him up and down broodily.

"Hell, even I was thinking it Luke" Skills replied causing everyone including Adam to laugh again.

"Well THIS is awkward… We are gonna get the rest of our equipment and bring it in. Good luck tonight Peyton, and to you too Jake and Haley," they nodded their 'thank you's' "good to see you Mia" He turned to hug her and walked off.

"Damn…. That man is something else. Fine with a capital F." Brooke said out loud causing Sam to smack her arm.

"Whatever Brooke, why don't you go fuck him then, that's another f word you're so familiar with." I said before turning to go walk back to the stage, I heard little Jamie's voice…

"Aunt Peyt! That's $20.00 from you too! I'm gonna be rich!" Damnit.

* * *

"Thank you everyone for coming tonight… I can't believe this is the 10th Annual Fight the Fight Benefit! We lost Ellie Harp to Breast Cancer, but because of all of you, all the ticket benefits are going to breast cancer research. We've got a lot of great music for you tonight coming from Red Bedroom Records. First up we've got a very good friend of my mine, Jake Jagaliski! But stick around, Maroon 5 is officially in the house!"

The night was going really well, the crowd response to Jake was killer and Haley's set was going great, Mia and Haley were just about to introduce their duet when…

"Hey Peyton…. You look soooooooooo beautiful tonight." Just what I want to deal with… a drunk Lucas Scott. He was leaning heavily on the counter of the bar next to me to keep upright.

"Someone's been drinking tonight! Look, I gotta get back and go talk to the bands Lucas I'm really busy right now and don't have time for whatever it is you're doing." I said grabbing my drink from Chase and walking back towards the stage, before I was so lucky as to get away he grabbed my wrist.

"Peyton wait! WHY! I have to know why you said no… and why you broke my heart…. And why you broke up with me on the phone. I thought we had something you know… And I've tried to move on, but I feel like you're it for me Peyton. Come on… We can make this work if you just give it a chance" He said slurring his words. A part of me felt guilty for breaking his heart and breaking up with him the way I did, but my heart wasn't in it, and I knew his truly wasn't either.

"Look Luke… I broke up with you because there was someone else in my heart, there always has been. I didn't expect your dumb ass to get on a flight to L.A. and do something as stupid as proposing? I mean honestly did you expect a yes after that? Seriously! Come on!"

"Someone else in your heart? Who the hell could it possibly be Peyton?! I know I'm it for you, just give me a chance to prove it." I could smell the whiskey on his breath.

"You're trashed Luke, let Skills take you home, you won't even remember this tomorrow. I've got to get back to get ready for the next band, this is important…" And before I knew what was happening I felt his lips mashed to mine.

It felt so wrong, disgusting almost. "Have you lost your fucking mind?!" I said pushing him off me with a shove. "If you didn't hear me correctly Lucas, my heart was never with you. Please try to move on from this! You've got to let it go. I'm in love with someone else."

"You can't tell me you didn't feel that Peyton? I know I diddddd." He slurred back.

"I didn't feel anything Lucas. Leave me alone, I'm serious, you've got to get past this. Find a ride home and get out of my club night before you cause trouble tonight." I said storming off in the direction I had intended on going in the first place.

I could hear Mia and Haley finishing the duet and was pissed I hadn't heard most of it because of Lucas's shitty timing. Before I got too far, I found Brooke rooted to a place not far from where Lucas and I had been standing by the bar.

"Well, I guess I should say congrats to the two of you then. Maybe that's why you've been avoiding me all week." She said with hurt in her voice, clicked my glass, and went off backstage.

"You're really shooting zero tonight Sawyer." I mumbled to myself and headed in the same direction Brooke had left in.

* * *

Read and review :)


	14. May Not Be Another One Like This

So, as I mentioned last chapter... This is where I came up for the idea of this story based off this chapter, I actually had a dream about it and decided to flesh it out into a story, so hopefully I wrote it well.

A huge thank you to MiguelCC51 for being my 50th reviewer on this story! Means a lot :) Thank you to all my awesome reviewers.

Also - This chapter is rated 'M' just as a warning. It gets pretty smutty at the end just as a warning... so if you don't like, don't read! Anyway onto the story, please read and review, I've never written anything remotely smutty before so hopefully I don't disappoint too much lol.

* * *

_Man, it's been a long day_

_Stuck thinking 'bout it driving on the freeway_

_Wondering if I really tried everything I could_

_Not knowing if I should try a little harder_

I pushed the doors open backstage, determined to talk to Brooke. She had to know I wasn't into Lucas, I never was. Damn him and his shitty timing. As pissed as I was for what had happened in the past, I knew I would never be able to move past her and this was just another example of my fear escaping that I'd lose her completely.

"Peyton this is seriously the coolest thing ever! I'm so happy you let me help out!" Sam said grabbing my arm as I continued looking around the room for her.

"Of course Sam, Haley's set is almost done, why don't you introduce Maroon 5 with me when she's done?"

"Dude! Are you serious! Thank youuuu!" She said crushing into me and hugging me. "I'm going to go tell Jamie!"

Before I went to go find Brooke again, I took in the scene in front of me. I looked over and saw Mia and Jake with his arms around her and Jenny watching from below. I also saw Nathan with Jamie up on his shoulders all watching from the side of the stage as Haley kept performing her set as Sam walked over to them excitedly. That's when it hit me. Family. My heart ached just watching them off in the distance knowing that that's all I had ever wanted. And I wanted that with Brooke, as untraditional as it might be, she was the only thing that ever made sense to me in my whirlwind of a crazy life. The only thing that made me grounded in an unsafe world. My safety. My home. And as fucked up as our time apart had been, I was coming to terms with the fact that she had done it to protect me. And I just needed to move past it if I wanted her in my life, as a friend or otherwise. She did tell me she still loved me, maybe there was hope. Finally able to move again, I headed for the door, thinking Brooke may've gone out to the back entrance like we had so many times before to clear her head.

_Oh, but I'm scared to death_

_That there may not be another one like this_

_And I confess that I'm only holding on by a thin thin thread_

"Peyyyyyttttttonnnnn, the Queen of breaking hearts." Lucas slurred hanging off Skills just as I was opening the door to the back entrance to see if Brooke was out there.

"Shut up, Lucas, I think you've caused enough trouble." I said completely irritated by him, I didn't have time for this bullshit. Why did every night at Tric always turn into such a big deal?

"You shouldn't have come back here Peyton… Brooke was right. You made me think I had a chance with you and then you tell me you are in love with someone else!" At this point everyone had begun to gather around us listening to him shout at me. I still had the back door half open wishing I could get away from him and find Brooke.

"Uncle Lucas, that's not very nice. This is Aunt Peyton's home. We want her here. And why are you talking funny?" The little boy said with a lean to his head.

"Lucas, don't say that kinda shit to her!" Sam stepped in front of me, she could be as protective as Brooke was and that was a scary thought.

"It's fine, Sam. Just leave it…" I said trying to diffuse the argument and figure out where the hell Brooke was.

"No it's not fine, I don't want him saying this shit to drive you away again!" Sam said turning to me as I just looked to Nate for some kind of help.

"Peyton Sawyyyyer. What is it about her you know? Who is it Peyton!? Who is this person you're SO in love with that you broke up with me on the phone for in L.A."

"Luke…Stop for real dawg, you're flippin the crazy switch on!" Skills added.

"Who is it Peyton!?" I looked to Jake for some kind of help as I panicked. But why hide from him anymore? He didn't matter. He never did. And I had the crazy inclination that Sam would be okay with it.

I heard Mia whisper to Jake, "this should be good…"

"It's Brooke okay Lucas? Are you fucking happy now?!" I heard the door open more behind me, Brooke had heard the whole thing. I turned around to see her face shocked, then turned back around to catch the same look from Lucas.

"This must be some kinda joke… I don't think I heard you…" He said quieter this time as everyone listened.

"You heard me. Now back the fuck off me Lucas." I said edging closer to his face.

"Man, I'm gonna get so much money tonight daddy! I can buy Chester a new friend!" Jamie said lightening the mood.

"Skills, get him out of here, seriously." I said with a total seriousness. I couldn't believe I'd just said that to everyone.

"Sure thing, skinny girl." He said with a smile and took Lucas out the back door, he was in a total state of shock that he was left speechless. Good, at least I wouldn't have to listen to anymore of his shit tonight.

"Brooke, I…." I couldn't find the words, and everyone was still standing there. Watching. Waiting to see what would happen. I didn't know what Sam was thinking…

"Hey guys… you need to go introduce Maroon 5, the crowd is getting kinda restless…" Haley cautiously approached from the side of the stage, her set must've just ended.

"Right, let me go tell them and then we can go introduce them, okay Sam?" She nodded her head. I turned back to look at Brooke and we just stared at each other for a few moments, wondering what the other was thinking and then I turned in the opposite direction to go find Adam and his band.

* * *

"Hey everyone, this is Sam, she wanted to come out and say hello to everyone tonight, let's give her a big hello!" The crowd cheered, "Alright guys, following the oh-so-amazing Haley James Scott, we have a band from a small town just like us, please give it up for the super talented… Maroon 5!" The crowd went nuts and we stood off to the side of the stage listening to them perform for a minute.

"Sam… about what I said….." I said approaching the subject.

"Peyt, you aren't seriously worried about what I think, are you?"

"Well, yeah… I mean… I kinda just dropped this huge bomb back there, and I don't even know what Brooke's thinking… or you for that matter. You two are all that matter."

"Did you really think I didn't know?" She smiled.

"What? You knew?!" She sure fooled me if she did…

"Of course I knew. Brooke is happiest with you and she's been miserable since you left and since you got back, I've seen that Brooke Davis fire we all know come back into her eyes. You're our family Peyton, we love you." She said with a smile.

"Thanks Sam. I need to go talk to her…" She hugged me and whispered into my ear.

"It's going to be great Peyton… Give her a chance. Open yourself up to her and it will be great." She said with a wink and headed back to join everyone.

Determined to find Brooke, I pushed through the crowd as I heard Maroon 5 introduce a song "I wrote this about a year ago, about a girl I loved and lost stupidly because of something I did.… in life we always wonder if we've made the right decisions, took the right chances, talked to the right people to get to the success we wanted. But none of that matters without someone who loves you, take the time to make things right, don't do what I did. This night is about Breast Cancer, and losing the ones we love – I say you gotta make every moment count. You don't know how many more we'll get." With that I spotted her in the crowd looking back at me and I made my way her, like gravity. "Anyway, this is called 'Sad'."

As the lyrics start filling through Tric, I realized how fitting they were and approached Brooke. We stood next to each other and listened as he sung the lyrics. They were breaking my heart.

_I'm kicking the curb cause you never heard_

_ The words that you needed so bad_

_ And I'm kicking the dirt cause I never gave you_

_ The place that you needed to have_

_ I'm so sad, saaad_

I turned to look at Brooke, wondering if she was thinking the same thing I was, she was never much of a lyrics girl. In fact, I would have to explain to her the importance of each song and why the lyrics always meant so much to me, but as I turned to look at her, tears were streaming down her face… I think she was listening to the lyrics for once.

"Hey… Brooke… It's okay…" I said as I lightly soothed her back.

She leaned up to look at me and said, "It's not okay, Peyt… It's not. I'm sorry… I just… I can't be here right now." She said as she took off and this time I wasn't going to let her get away.

I ran in the direction I thought she would have gone down the brick hallway that was pretty vacant due to everyone watching the band. That's when I spotted her, leaned with her arm against the bricks in the dark desolate hallway crying her eyes out.

"Brooke….?" I said as I approached her.

"Stop Peyton… I'm fine. That song… it just it got to me you know… I never understood how you were with lyrics… but that song… it really got to me…" She said between sobs.

"It's okay, Brooke," I said leaning against her brushing some brunette locks out her eyes.

"It's not okay… I should've said those words. I should've given you the things you never had, the things I wouldn't let myself open up to you about. And I know that there will never be another one like you, Peyton…" I was melting into her again.

"Brooke…."

"Did you mean it? What you said to Lucas I mean…?" She asked hesitantly, our positions very close together.

"Of course I meant it. I was just angry with you for our time apart, but I never for one day stopped loving you Brooke… because I didn't. Lucas kissed me back there it didn't mean anythi…" I was cut off by her lips pressed to mine.

_Man, it's been a long night_

_Just sitting here, trying not to look back_

_Still looking at the road we never drove on_

_And wondering if the one I chose was the right one_

_Oh, but I'm scared to death_

_That there may not be another one like this_

_And I confess that I'm only holding on by a thin thin thread_

"I'm sorry, for all the things I've said since you've been back, I've just been hurt… and I know you aren't into Lucas. He can't help that he's in love with you… it's an easy thing to do." Brooke smiled up at me breaking the lip lock but still hovering close to me.

I wiped the remainder of tears from her eyes and leaned into her again, "I'm sorry too. And you know… for what I said about Adam earlier too…" I said with a smile.

"P. Sawyer was jealous…." Uh oh, I knew that look in her eyes….

"Was not…" She raised her eyebrow at me, "Okay, maybe a little. I don't like you talking about how hot other people are, okay? Is that so bad?" I said back.

"I like when you get all jealous and crazy. It's hot. But trust me, he's not the one I want…." She said with a familiar glint in her eye, as long as we'd been apart, I still recognized the look.

Clearing my throat by the thick tension in the air, "We should uhhh… we should get back in there. Sam is probably wondering where you are."

"Yeah…." As I started walking away from her, I felt her latch onto my wrist and shove me against the cool brick surface.

"Brooke, what are you doing? We can't do this here." I said as she latched herself onto my neck and I thought I'd pass out from pure bliss.

"Why not? No one is here… and it's been sooo long Peyton… please…." She whispered in my ear causing shivers down my spine. "I want you so bad, all the time. And you look so hot tonight…" She said trailing her fingers down my side. I knew I was going to lose this battle to her. She looked up into my eyes, chocolate meeting green, "I love you Peyton, and I don't want us to hide anymore. I want us to make this work. I don't want anything else in my life… we can deal with the mess later?" She said looking into my eyes, still tracing lazy circles up and down my sides. I never thought I'd hear Brooke say those words again and now that I was it felt like I was dreaming. Maybe I was. "You gonna say something blondie? Oh god maybe I've scared you off…" Brooke said backing away.

"I want that too, I love you too Brooke." I whispered back at her looking her in the eyes tugging her back to me. Her lips attached with mine again hungrily this time and her hands started roaming again as she pushed me further against the wall. She always did like to be in control.

Her hands reached into my hair and started tugging on the ends as she gripped me harder against the wall.

"Fuck, Brooke…." I said lifting my head back to create better access for her.

"God, I've missed you, I've missed you so much." She whispered against my earlobe as she darted her tongue out to suck it. My weakness. I felt my knees giving way and if she hadn't had me so far against the wall, I seriously might pass out.

"We shouldn't… not here…" I said trying to catch my breath as she continued making her way up my shirt and then reattaching our lips.

"You're right P. Sawyer, we shouldn't but… don't you want me…? I want you…Just relax." She said huskily again, her eyes turning a shade darker and continued kissing my collarbone.

I felt her hands slip inside the inside of my jeans, and the rational side of me was going out the window. I decided to be adventurous for once and go with another one of Brooke's crazy situations I found myself in.

My hands gripped tightly to her hair and pulled her closer to me, lost in the feelings of Brooke Davis again and the smell that was so uniquely Brooke it drove me wild. I might come right there.

"Brooke… I need…" My breath was coming out strangled from what she was doing to me and she slipped her hands lower into my jeans undoing the button.

She looked back at me, the only pair of eyes I ever truly found love in, "I know what you need…"

I found myself losing myself completely in her. I knew it was wrong, we were in public for God sake. But I just couldn't stop myself. I couldn't keep myself away any longer. I never thought we'd be doing this… here… like this.

She slid her hand further into my jeans and began rubbing me from outside my very wet panties. I was in sheer heaven.

"Brooke… we can't do this here…" I strangled trying to get any words to form, my one last plea at being sensible as she continued working on that spot behind my earlobe that drove me crazy.

"Ssssh…." She said bringing her free hand up to my lips. Our eyes met lust filled, wanting, and reattached within a matter of seconds. She continued her descent into my jeans and slowly moved my panties over exposing me to her fingers for the first time in nearly two years.

"You know Peyt… for someone who's trying to stop my crazy antics… you're awfully wet." She said blowing against my ear and taking my head into hers aggressively. It had been so long since I'd been with her, so much time I'd spent wanting her, aching that this moment would somehow happen again, that I would probably go over the edge in just a few seconds.

"Fuccccck Brooke." I muttered as I threw my head back against the brick wall and felt her fingers invade me. I lifted my leg up around her waist trying to give her better access. I pulled her by the waist gripping her shirt tightly in my hands, never wanting to be apart from this woman again and brought my other hand up to pull through her soft brunette locks, taking a death grip on her scalp at she inserted another finger into me hastily.

"Jesus… I'm not going to… I…." I formed as I clamped my eyes closed against the wall and jerked back from her my knees buckling. She giggled over me as she reattached our lips hungrily but I couldn't keep up with her because of what she was doing to me. She moved her lips down to my collarbone and I was so close to the brink I thought I was going to scream, my moans picking up, she still knew me so well and knew exactly the right places to touch.

"Sshhh…. You gotta keep it down baby. Wouldn't want people to know the boss is doing the naughty in the hall." Brooke whispered. I was desperately searching for something to grab ahold of. Anything to help me silence the scream I knew would be coming.

She reattached our lips once more and I bit down on her lip, hard as she rubbed me harder, deeper. "Mmmppphhh…." I mumbled knowing my release was about to rush through me and I had to do something before the whole town fucking heard me.

I threw my hand that had been desperately holding her shirt to the wall and tried to grip something, anything. She laughed against my lips once more, knowing the effect she still had on me.

"You look so hot right now," she whispered against my throat and that would do it. The thing that sent me over the edge, as I released I bit down on her collarbone to keep from screaming her name through the halls. _That would leave a mark._ As my orgasm ripped through my body, she continued her pace until she finally slowed and released her fingers from me and moved the hand that had been in my head to my shoulders, then finally my side and rubbed me up and down gently, straightening my clothes again with her other hand.

"Good to know I've still got it, it's been awhile you know?" She said to me with a grin as she pushed some blonde sweaty locks out of my face as I threw my head back against the bricking again with my eyes still closed.

"I'd say you definitely still have it… Are you sure you haven't done that?" I said as I tried to regain my breath, my chest still heaving up and down. I wasn't sure my heart could take hearing that'd she'd been with someone else.

"Positive baby." She said reattaching her lips to my neck and I still thought it was all a dream. "What are you thinking about?" She said stroking the side of my cheek.

"I'm thinking I can't believe we just did that…. Right there… like that…. You always were good as surprising me Brooke Davis." I said finally able to open my heavy lidded eyes and meet her chocolate eyes, once I did though, she was looking further into them, knowing she was looking for a different type of answer. "I'm thinking about your mom, Brooke. This doesn't change anything about what she's going to do… And I'm thinking Xavier is still out there. And I'm thinking I have to go back to L.A. soon. That's my home now…And Sam…" I said looking at her deeply, knowing how much nothing mattered except for her.

_I'm kicking the curb cause you never heard_

_ The words that you needed so bad_

_ And I'm kicking the dirt cause I never gave you_

_ The place that you needed to have_

_ I'm so sad, saaad_

_ I'm so sad, so sad_

"Can you trust me when I tell you that we will figure this out? All of it. All I want is you now, I'm not willing to let you go again, I almost died last time…" She said with sincerity. I nodded my head to her in understanding. If she was willing to work, so was I. Our lips hovered over each other's until they met again this time in a slower, love filled kiss. "I love you Peyton." Our foreheads pressed together and I was still trying to regain full consciousness of the crazy antics she'd just pulled on me, she pressed her lips to my forehead and I figured we'd be okay again. As long as we had each other. I never wanted to let go.

"Uhhh Peyton" Mouth said from further down the hall, it startled me so much that I completely lifted my head to look at him, Brooke looked surprised, and annoyed as well.

"Sorry…. They uhhhh… need you to go say goodnight to everyone, their set is over." He said with headphones around his neck. The hall started to fill with a few more people, waiting for the encore.

"Right… I ummm I'll be right there. Thanks Mouth." He looked at me with a knowing grin and returned back in the direction he came.

I reached down to button my jeans back up and try to make myself look presentable. "I guess I better go, the job's calling my name huh?" I said to her with a smile still not moving from our place against the wall.

"Go get em." She said with a wink as I finally pushed myself off the wall and felt my feet start to move. She smacked my ass as I walked away from her and finally felt like I had crazy fun-loving Brooke back in my life, my best friend that was always one to stir up trouble.

I turned back around, that tiny fear creeping in my stomach, "We are gonna be okay, right B. Davis?" I said to her worriedly. She noticed the look.

"We're gonna be great, P. Sawyer. Now go." She said with a final slap and I made my way towards the stage, feeling lighter than I had in two years. Maybe, it would be okay. I'd have to remember to thank Adam later, who knew that such a sad song would turn out to be the best sex I ever had?

_ Oh, but I'm scared to death_

_ That there may not be another one like this_

_ And I confess that I'm only holding on by a thin thin thread_

_ I'm kicking the curb cause you never heard_

_ The words that you needed so bad_

_ And I'm kicking the dirt cause I never gave you_

_ The place that you needed to have_

_ And I'm kicking the curb cause you never heard_

_ The words that you needed so bad_

_ I'm so sad, so sad _

* * *

The song is called 'Sad' by Maroon 5 - It's AWESOME if you haven't heard it before.

Read and review pretty pretty please :)


	15. Rebuild

I know, I know. I left you guys hanging for a long time with this update, I'm sorry to anyone that's still reading this story! I've had a severe case of WRITERS BLOCK! But, I've managed to work through it and post this update for you awesome people :) I will hopefully be updating my other two stories in the next few days, hope you are enjoying those as well! This chapter is a bit of filler, but necessary in order to move on and get to the next chapter.

Read and review :)

* * *

"Dude! You can't possibly be serious!" Mia said punching my arm as we lay in my hotel bed talking.

We had stayed super late at Tric cleaning up and Brooke and Sam had gone home. Since our little run-in in the hallway we hadn't gotten a chance to talk since I'd been so busy talking with all the bands.

"Completely. Right there in the hallway. I couldn't believe it myself…" I said laughing back to Mia as I filled her in on tonight's antics.

"Peyton Sawyer! Getting dirty in the hallway of Tric! Who would've thought!" Mia said practically squealing.

"Yeah, yeah… I get the point dude. Now can you go back over to your bed now!" I said rolling my eyes at her playfully.

"Why are you here Peyton?" Mia said turning and propping on her elbow.

"What do you mean?"

"Why aren't you with Brooke… and Sam… If things went down, no pun intended" I slapped her arm and pointed my finger at her to let her know to knock it off, "…how you said they did, I guess I just don't understand why you're here and not there." Mia said with a seriousness.

"I…. guess… I just…. I don't…. I don't know…"But the reality was, I did know and I was terrified.

"I think you do know Peyton…"

"I'm afraid. I'm terrified of getting close to her again…. What if this turns out exactly like last time? She said that things would be different… but I'm terrified, Mia…" I said with tears edging in my eyes.

"Peyton, if she said it's going to be different this time… then it will, you need to trust her or it's going to be doomed from the beginning again. You and Brooke are perfect for each other, everyone knows that…"

"Try telling Lucas that…" I said with a scoff.

"It's going to be hard Peyton, but you've got to ask yourself, is it worth it? That's all that matters." She said with a pat to my shoulder and got out of my bed and walked over to hers.

"I think I'm going to go out and clear my head… I just need to think about some things." I said and she nodded.

* * *

I had wandered around Tree Hill for an unknown amount of time just trying to process everything that happened with Brooke and mainly what she had said. I couldn't help but feel happy I had her the way I wanted her, finally. And she was saying she didn't need to hide anymore. But the other part of me felt that crushing pain, the pain I felt over our time apart and couldn't help but think there were so many obstacles still standing in our way… would we be able to overcome?

I finally landed in my destination, a place I always felt safe and leaned my back against the concrete and pulled my notebook out of my bag and started writing. Something I'd been doing a lot of lately to make sense of the world, turns out they'd been turning into good songs to be recorded…

The lyrics fell out of me like a woman possessed.

"Figured you'd be out here." Brooke said approaching, I hadn't even heard her pull up.

"Brooke… Hi." I said pulling my head up from the last of the lyrics.

"Hi mama Peyton." Brooke said grazing her hands over the gravestone and sat down next to me. "I came to see her a lot when you were gone, you know?"

"You did?" I said with furrowed brow.

"Uh huh, I was always asking her advice on how to make things right with you and telling her how well you were doing… She'd be super proud of you P. Sawyer." She said reaching over for my hand.

"I hope so…But I wonder sometimes if she sees me and just thinks I'm a huge mess." I replied with a sigh.

"Peyton…You are the VP of one of the most successful record labels in the world, I'd hardly call that a mess." She responded back with a smile. I reached over and put my notebook back in my bag not wanting her to see the lyrics I'd written.

"How'd you know I'd be here? And what are you doing out here in the middle of the night, it's gotta be like past four in the morning…." She reached over and took my arm and leaned her head into my shoulder. I hadn't realized it had gotten so cold outside until I felt her warmth next to me.

"Well, I called you… a bunch. And you didn't answer. But finally Mia did and she was pissed for waking her up let me tell you…" I couldn't help but laugh and I felt her breath tickle my neck as she laughed as well. "But she told me you went out, to clear your head… so, I wanted to talk to you so I came to track you down. I went to the bridge first, but you weren't there, so I knew you'd be here…" she said with a huff.

"It's so late though…" I responded.

"I know… I couldn't sleep. You were avoiding me after our little meeting in the hall and I needed to talk to you… What's going on Peyton? I thought you wanted to work through this..." She said lifting her head up to meet my eyes, and what I saw was beautiful, vulnerable.

"I… just… I got scared. Of needing you again… Wanting you again… Being us again… It changes everything Brooke. And like I said before… there's so much to think about… with your mom and Xavier… and Sam… and me living in L.A… I'm just… I'm scared. I'm scared you're gonna leave me again…" I said surprising myself.

"Peyton, I meant everything I said. I'm going to fight for us. For you. I'm scared too, but I'm not scared of you or the way you make me feel, I've been running from that for too long. We've always had a million obstacles in our way and we've always overcome… you've gotta trust me. I know it's going to take time to rebuild what I shattered, but I love you Peyton. And nothing will get in the way of that again. Got it?" She responded looking into my eyes placing my hand close to her heart, I couldn't help but wonder where this new found confidence came from.

"Got it." I said with a nod.

"Good," she leaned in and kissed me softly on the lips, "Hope that's okay Mama Peyton. But I'm not going anywhere again, Peyton's stuck with me."

We sat in comfortable silence for awhile and I couldn't help but let my mind wonder… she was right. If I wanted this to work, I'd have to learn to rebuild that trust instead of always wondering when she'd leave again and she suddenly spoke as though she could read my mind.

"You know Peyton, there wasn't a day that went by that I didn't regret what happened… that I didn't want you. And I should've done things differently, I shouldn't have made you hide and wait like you did. You were always so patient with me and I didn't deserve it. I wish my mom hadn't given me an ultimatum, but for the record, you win every time. You are always first to me Peyton. You and Sam. Always. I wish I would have listened to you and we could've found a way… but I was scared." I could feel her tears dripping on my shoulder.

"Hey… we are here now right? We have now. Maybe it's not too late." I said back with a smile wiping her eyes.

What were you writing about anyway?" She said sniffing her nose and leaning her head up to look at my bag.

"Uh, no way Brooke." I laughed, she hadn't changed at all she was still the same nosey girl I always loved.

"Plllllleeeeeassssssseeeeeeee….. just a peek…. A little one?" she said with a pout.

"Nope. No way. You'll hear it soon enough I'm sure. And stop pouting!" I responded grabbing my bag and standing up.

"Hear it? That's not fair… I think I should get a look now then to make sure it's good." I extended my hand and helped her up.

"Yeah well, you think a lot of things Brooke Davis." I said with a laugh and started walking.

"Where's your car?"

"I walked…"

"You walked from the hotel?! That's a long way! Let me give you a ride…" Brooke offered.

"Fine." I said getting in her BMW SUV.

* * *

"Apologize to Mia for me by the way, I think I freaked her out…" Brooke said looking over to me as we drove.

"Why?" I asked curious.

"I didn't like you being out at night without your cell… especially when you know… he's out. I was really worried Peyton…" Damn, I hadn't thought of that, only that I needed some air.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you… I just needed some air and I'm used to being by myself and not thinking for anyone else…."

"Right…" She said looking away and back at the road, defeated. The truth was, I thought of Brooke and Sam everyday while we were apart, they were my family. But, I had learned to cope being alone and thinking for myself instead of for three.

"Brooke… I didn't mean… I didn't mean anything by that…" She was visibly upset but trying to show that she wasn't.

"Hey, it's fine… we are moving forward, right?" She said with a smile, but I could tell she was having a hard time with this. I needed to prove to her that I did still believe in us after all our time apart, that my love had never altered.

"Hang a left right here." I said pointing to the street in front of us.

"But Peyt…"

"Just do it, Brooke." I demanded as she huffed and made the turn.

"Okay, stop right here."

"You wanna tell me why we are sitting outside the old record shop blondie? It's bad enough you forced me to come here when this place was open."

"Oh shut up! You loved our Tuesday traditions and you know it. Come on, let's go."

"But Peyt… they aren't open…" She said as I got out of the car and she took the keys from the ignition and followed suit.

I grabbed her hand and led her to the door and unlocked it with my keys from my bag and led her inside.

"Peyt… I don't understand, why do you have keys to this place?" Brooke said confused as I pulled her through the door.

She stood in silence for a minute as she looked around the old CD shop in awe. Sam, Jake, and I had worked hard over the past week and it was really coming together for the opening.

"P. Sawyer…. I… I don't understand. Is this…. Is this yours?" Brooke asked in disbelief as tears welled in her eyes.

"It is," I said pulling her into an embrace, "Someone once told me that I would have a place of my own one day. I just had to believe in something… I always believed in us Brooke. It's just going to take some time to rebuild, just like this CD shop."

We looked into each other's eyes for a moment and she pulled me into a mind blowing kiss.

We would rebuild. She was the only one that was worth rebuilding my life with.

* * *

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	16. Sometimes They Come Back

I'm back with an update! I've also updated "Wonderwall" and started a new Breyton story called "Stolen American Secrets" - check it out and let me know if you want me to continue with that one. I will also be updating "Save You" probably tomorrow, hopefully. This chapter is kinda fluffy... but Breyton is really easy to write fluff for! Read and review :)

* * *

Two weeks had passed by in Tree Hill, relatively drama free. I hadn't seen Lucas much since that night at Tric, Victoria hadn't been seen, and they still hadn't found Xavier, but that thought we tried to keep to the back of our minds.

Brooke and I had been trying to learn to get to know each other again, we had been going out for dinner dates, coffee dates, and we had dinner in with Sam often as we tried to be an 'us' again.

So far, it had been working really well and I slowly felt my guard coming down as I realized Brooke was serious, she wasn't going to skip out on me again, we'd even officially told everyone, except Lucas. Though, no one was surprised since they mostly knew we had a history before, but it felt good to be so open with her and our friends, to not have to hide, I'd felt lighter than I had in years just knowing I had Brooke the way I wanted her and she wasn't going to go anywhere, at least that's what she kept reassuring me. We also hadn't been intimate, at all, since that night in Tric and I was finding it increasingly difficult for it to stay that way. Of course I wanted her, I always wanted her, but a part of me felt like that would seal the deal with us being completely together and I didn't know if I was ready. I was still afraid, but she was being understanding of that. I was really feeling like we were getting to know each other again, and I'd learn what had been going on with Clothes Over Bro's…

_*Flashback*_

_"Come here, you got a little something…" Brooke said wiping the coffee remains from the corner of my lip._

_"Did you get it?" I said back with a smile taking another sip._

_"Not quite…" She said as she leaned in and kissed the corner of my mouth, allowing her tongue to lightly brush the area she'd just touched with her fingers before._

_It felt good for her to do things like that without hesitation; there wasn't a need to hide from anyone. _

_"I need to tell you something…" She started as she pulled away and looked into my eyes._

_"Okay…Should I be worried?" I asked, trying to study her chocolate worry filled eyes._

_"No, but it's about Victoria…" _

_"Okay, whatever it is, Brooke, we will figure it out right?" I asked._

_"Remember that day we came in Tric and Sam started saying something about Victoria…" Brooke asked looking down at the table._

_"Uh huh… is everything okay?" I reached over and took her hand._

_"She's trying to take the company from me Peyton… She stole a bunch of money and forged some of my signatures on some documents, it's really serious… Our investors are in a lot of trouble and I'm trying to figure out a way to make this right for everyone." Brooke said as tears filled her eyes, Clothes Over Bro's meant so much to Brooke, it was something she'd started back in high school and I'd be damned if someone like Victoria Davis was going to ruin that for her._

_"So… what do you think is gonna happen Brooke?" I said lifting her chin to allow her to meet my eyes._

_"It's going to get really ugly, but I'm going to make sure the investors are repaid everything that Victoria took from them, she manipulated her way into making them believe something about my new line, and then she signed away all the money… I should've known something like this would happen in business with her. It's bad enough she made me end my relationship with you, but now this?" Brooke said almost completely breaking down at the table we were sat at in the coffee shop._

_"We will figure it out Brooke" I said leaning over and wiping her eyes._

_"We?" Her eyes meeting mine with surprise._

_"Yes, we. I'm here now, and you don't have to go through this alone…" I said with a smile._

_*End Flashback*_

* * *

Truth was, we had fought so many battles separately; we were always so much stronger together.

"Hey blondie, this place looks great! You ready for tonight?" Brooke said entering my gallery, two coffees in hand.

"Nervous, but ready." I said leaning to take my hot beverage from her.

"Not so fast, kiss first." Brooke demanded and I obliged, it was moments like that in which I'd forgotten how much I'd missed her, the simple things.

* * *

It was the night of my opening, Brooke, Sam, and Jake had helped me with the finishing touches all of that day, the time had come for the doors to open. I was in the backroom, where there was a leather couch and a vanity putting the finishing touches on my makeup trying to calm my nerves.

"I'm really proud of you, Peyt! This place looks so awesome" Sam said entering the backroom.

"Thanks Sam, you look beautiful, is there a lot of people out there?" I said spinning towards her.

"It's starting to fill up, and you look quite beautiful yourself. Brooke isn't going to know what to do with herself!" Sam said laughing as I pushed her towards the front room.

"Oh my God…" I said stunned at the turnout already, we'd only been open for ten minutes and it was packed.

"What are you two doing back here?" Brooke said making her way towards us, she'd been entertaining customers and it was the first I'd set my eyes on her since she'd gotten ready, I couldn't help but eye her up and down, red always was her color.

"Peyton's being a chicken and doesn't want to come out here…" Sam said laughing.

"Peyt, you've already sold 5 photographs and 5 paintings… and it's been ten minutes. You have nothing to worry about baby, it's your night, get out here and own it." Brooke said taking ahold of my hand as Sam walked over to Nathan and Haley.

"You look hot…" I said continuing to look her up and down.

"Well, you clean up pretty well too Sawyer." She said in a whisper biting my ear, if Sam we didn't have a whole gallery full of people, I'd take her right there. "But, you still need to get your fine ass out here and mingle."

As the night progressed and customers asked questions about the paintings around the gallery, I made my way to the middle of the room to toast to tonight, everyone had been drinking champagne which took the edge off.

"Good evening everyone! I'd like to thank all of you for coming out tonight to the grand opening of "Peyton's Place", as I'm sure you've found "Peyton's Place" is a collection of photographs, paintings, and drawings I've done over the years starting from the time I was just a teenager. I'd like to thank all of those who helped make this night possible, especially Jake – he helped build this place from the ground up when it was just my favorite old record store, that held all my future dreams and aspirations. I'd also like to thank Sam, who inspires me every day, but I'd mainly like to thank the amazing Brooke Davis, who was the inspiration behind the opening, Brooke pressured me for years into opening my own gallery, and what better place to do that than in my hometown? So I owe all tonight's success to my love, Brooke Davis." My heart pounded in my chest as I made such a public declaration, and I looked over to see Brooke blushing. "Cheers!"

"So proud of you Peyton!" Haley said crushing into me, followed by Nathan.

"We are really proud of you, Sawyer." He added.

"Thank you both, it means a lot." I said with a smile and felt a pair of slender arms wrap around me from behind.

"Your speech was kinda hot, you know?" Brooke said against my ear. I turned so I could face her.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Made me wish all these people weren't here right now…" She said with a grin.

"That's never stopped you before, Brooke Davis!" I said back.

"I'm really proud of you Peyton… Really proud." She said stroking my arm.

"Thank you, Brooke. It means everything to know you are…" I said leaning down to kiss her, when we broke apart, Jake and Mia were standing there smiling.

"Can I help you two with something?" I said annoyed.

"Jeez, Sawyer! After your speech, I thought you liked me but I guess I was wrong!" Jake said with a smile.

"Yeah, yeah… what do you want?"

"I think you might want to go help that guy, he's looking at that portrait over there." Jake said pointing off into the distance, I pulled Brooke by the hand with me; I wanted her with me to hear me explain what the portrait meant to me.

"Hey there, you interested in this piece, sir?" I said looking up at the one he was looking at, my favorite in the gallery.

"It's a very interesting piece, what inspired it?" He looked to me while taking a sip of his champagne.

"It's called 'If I leave this all behind, would I get you off my mind.'" I said looking to Brooke, who was intrigued, after all, it was a portrait of herself.

"I see…" He said nodding studying the portrait again.

"Sometimes, you have to go far distances apart from the person you love and go into a dark place, to realize you'll never be able to get that person off your mind, no matter how hard you try." I added, trying to convince him of my affection for the portrait. "See, it's dark on this side, but full of light of the other, this signifies that hope that the person will return, no matter how dark the world may seem…" I added keeping my hand clasped with Brooke's as I pointed to the parts of the portrait I was referring to. She looked so happy and content, and I suddenly just wanted all these people to leave.

"I'll take it." He added shaking my free hand.

* * *

The night had come to a close and I was letting out the last of the customers as Brooke was putting away the champagne glasses. I locked the door and leaned against it, letting out a deep sigh. I can't believe I pulled it off.

"Well, that's the last of it, here you go baby, to your success!" Brooke said handing me a glass.

"Where's Sam?"

"She left with Nathan and Haley, she's staying with Jamie tonight…" Brooke said with a familiar glint in her eye. We were trying to rebuild and take things slow, but damn she looked hot in that dress.

We walked back to the backroom, as I took off my heels and carried them in one hand and fell onto the couch exhausted.

"And just what do you think you're doing?" I said as Brooke straddled my lap and her lips connected with the skin on my neck.

"I've been wanting to get you back here alone all night…. Do you have any idea how hot you look tonight? Business Peyton is very, very sexy." She mumbled against my lips.

"Is that right?" I said intrigued.

"Mhm…" She said nibbling on the skin below my ear. I sat my drink down on the table beside the couch; she was planning on making this difficult for me, that's for sure.

In one fluid motion, I flipped us so I was now hovering over her.

"This works too, blondie." She said with a wink and connected our lips once more as she raised her arms so I could take off her dress. I hovered, looking over her body, it was the first time I'd seen it in almost two years and if it was possible she'd gotten more beautiful. "See something you like?" She asked playfully connecting our lips as she arched her back into me.

I took this as an opportunity to unclasp her bra and begin my descent down my favorite girl in the world. I discarded her bra leaving it in a heaping pile on the floor, lowering my lips down her collarbone.

"Please Peyt…." I smiled against her skin, knowing how bad she still wanted me as my mouth enclosed around her nipple and I heard the hottest moan escape her mouth. Her hands found their way into my blonde locks as she began tugging, urging me for more.

I placed my hand on her shoulder and continued my way down her body landing upon our matching tattoos. I took the skin in my mouth and began pulling on it with my teeth, and licked around the shape of the tattoo.

"Jesus Peyton…" She gasped out. But something caught my eye in the dim lighting and I moved away from her… the tattoo, hers was different now.

I was straddling her and took my fingers over the tattoo to fully look at it again, her eyes fully watching everything I was doing.

"It's outlined in yellow?" I asked looking to meet her panting chest. "Why is it outlined in yellow Brooke?" I said continuing to trace my fingers over the skin.

I felt her hand reach my thigh and she pulled me down to her so our faces were only inches apart.

"Sometimes they come back." She breathed, still clearly worked up.

"I don't get it…"

"A yellow string around a red string means 'Sometimes They Come Back'" it's about awaiting the return of a loved one, I never stopped believing in us P. Sawyer…" She said looking into my welled eyes.

Our lips connected once again and I suddenly wasn't worried about taking it slow.

* * *

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